#constable remington

“Ma’am, I’m not here to cause trouble for you, being ex-legion and all, if that’s what’s making you worried...” Remington nervously remarked, rubbing the back of his neck as Floren-Ca handed him a cup of tea.

She looked up, seeming surprised that he had caught on to their hand-wringing so quickly. “Oh, no, dear… We’re not worried” She smiled sweetly.

Remington tried not to show his mistrust of that; something was clearly wrong. “Right…” He nodded, keeping his wits about him. “It’s simply that your, erm.. Daughter, and I, are working on a case right now, concerning the deceased Grandmaster Kragok.” He looked up, only to catch Floren-Ca’s shocked face as the fine porcelain teapot she held tumbled the the ground.

“Oh, oh dear…” Floren-Ca shook, looking down at the mess. “I’ll… I’ll go clean that up, don’t you worry, dear”

Remington looked at Julie-Su in surprise, who seemed equally confused. He looked back, using a napkin to pick up the broken porcelain. “That’s quite alright, Ma’am, I’m sorry if I startled you…”

Floren-Ca wouldn’t look him in the eyes as she shook her head. “No, no…” She seemed to mutter, her voice sounding strangely quiet and strangled.

Simon had now entered the room fully from where he was lingering in the doorframe, seeming antsy. He put his hand on Floren-Ca’s shoulder, whispering something into her ear.

Remington was now REALLY quite uneased by this situation. Something was just not adding up, and he did not like it one bit. “I’m sorry to press on what seems to be a sensitive topic,” He began, pausing as Simon sat down next to him, “but I feel as if there’s something crucial that’s missing from this story… I need to know anything you know.” His voice trailed off into uncertainty as he caught Simon’s sad eyes; he knew that look. That was the look of somebody about to tell of news that would shake the foundation of his world. Remington sat up in alert, sitting straightly.

Simon sighed deeply, a remorseful sounding exhale from the depths of his lungs. “I .. Was once the chief advisor of Grandmaster Luger, predecessor and father of Kragok, Kommisar, and dear Julie-Su here…” He spoke slowly, watching Remington’s reactions gently.

Remington nodded slowly, side-eyeing Julie-Su. “Well… I hadn’t known she was related to him.” He kept his gaze on Julie-Su for a moment. “But, I’m sorry, sir, this is a lot of unnecessary information - what of you and the man himself?"

Julie-Su squinted back at him for a moment, wrinkling her nose.

Shaking his head slowly, Simon leant back in the chair. “I oversaw the twins… Not as closely as I should have, but alas… I witnessed them grow up. I wish I could tell you that I knew what was going on him their minds… I could not. I can tell you, of a boy born to Kragok and his mistress…”

Remington seemed confused. “…You’re telling me Kragok has a son?” He blinked. “So, it’s him we should be looking out for, as he’s next in line, is that how it works?”

Julie-Su squinted. “… I’ve never heard of this before now."

Simon seemed to smile wistfully, though it was not a smile of amusement. “Hmm… Perhaps I should tell of the memory neutralising chips implanted in every Dark Legion soldier, next…”

Remington seemed impatient. “No, that’s quite alright… I was around when ‘Su gave the rundown to her muckabouts. Can you please get to the point, sir? I’m sorry, I’ve had a long day of winding loose ends that have run nowhere.”

“Hm… Then I shall tell you of the woman who bore Kragok’s child…” Simon seemed as if he were struggling to meet Remington’s eyes. “A woman who fled with her child from the Legion, with the help of the Brotherhood… On the condition that their memory chips were engaged.”

By this point, both Remington and Julie-Su were on the edges of their seats. Remington nodded along, waiting breathlessly.

Sighing heart-fully, Simon closed his eyes tight shut, putting his hand on Remington’s shoulder. “A woman, if I’m not mistaken, whom you know by heart… Eli-Za.”

“… Excuse me?” Remington blinked. “I’m sorry, I don’t think I understand what you’re trying to tell me.” He smirked in confusion. “Surely, you don’t mean my mother.” He seemed incredulous, meeting Simon’s soulful eyes.

He nodded, “I do mean your mother. Remington, you were that child.” Simon sighed. “Your memory neutralising chip…” He gestured to Remington’s head; “You should have a spot with disrupted fur… I, Floren-Ca, even Julie-Su, we all have the same… Scar tissue from the procedure”

Remington clutched his head, the pace of his breathing picking up. “…No. No, how did you know…? It’s not, it’s a birth mark. It’s…” He seemed confused, blinking as memories started coming back to him.

Julie-Su leapt up in surprise, stepping over. She had been through this; the migraine of reactivating those memories. But, there was something she was more concerned with. “Wait… Wait, Remington’s my cousin?!” She was long past caring about her blood relatives, or so she thought - none of them had ever been any good to her. She had put it all to rest.. Yet, now, here, things were changing in real time.

“Nephew…” Simon spoke softly, trying not to overload poor Remington, who was now nursing a headache.

A groan escaped from Remington as he held his hat over his eyes, feeling as if his brain were being cleaved in two. “No.. Don’t tell me…” He moaned, “She’s my aunt…”

Simon smiled softly at his exasperated voice, finding his jocular approach endearing. “Indeed…” He rubbed the poor boy’s back. “But, I’m afraid, there is another implication…”

“My father…?” Remington peered out from the shadow of his hat, “It doesn’t mean anything to me that my father is dead… He was a horrible man, and I never knew him…” He gritted his teeth as he saw images flash through his mind of a childhood he never knew he had. Though, it did hang heavy in his heart, that the man holding him seemed to be smiling… He groaned, a new type of mental anguish taking shape. “Why did you tell me this…?” He glanced at Simon, only to sigh. “No, that’s… I’m sorry. Thank you for telling me…”

Simon seemed remorseful, rubbing his back. “I’m sorry, boy… I wasn’t sure if anybody else could ever tell you the truth. We knew it was you, the second you walked through that door, and announced yourself as Remington…” Simon had held that baby in his arms; he knew him well. He felt relief to see him alive and well; it was by his suggestion that Eli-Za flee… Kragok had intended for Remington to take on the title of Grandmaster after he had stepped down. He knew those twins… He saw the way Kommisar had watched that child like a hawk. He would catch her in the nursery, leering over the baby’s crib… He knew her heart.

Remington sighed heavily, rubbing his temples. “… Thank you for telling me.” He repeated, standing up, looking quite pale. “I.. Am off to visit my mother.”

“Do visit us again soon..” Simon waved him off.

He thanked them for the tea and departed off on his lonesome, meandering through the park as he worked through it all in his mind. He finally walked his way to his mothers’ place, knocking on the door in his own unique fashion.

“Remy, dear! What a lovely surprise!” Eli-Za beamed, hugging her boy. She noted his solemn appearance, stepping back.

Remington’s heart ached as he saw how jovial she was; he had always known she had a nervous disposition, that something had worn her down all of these years; something she had always explained as a ‘ghost of a memory’ … She had come so far from when he was a boy, and it made him smile to see her so happy.

She put her hand to his cheek, unnerved by his silence. "What’s wrong, dear…? Has somebody died…?”

Remington snapped out of his haze, shaking his head with a smile.