#lots of plot shit

COPPER: It had been a long three weeks since the investigation into InterPride had started. Rajah and himself were taking most of the interviews, at least here in Swynlake. The London department was handling the London office. Still, there was 194 employees top down, from the janitors to the board members, and all of them had to be interviewed.

They’d gotten through most of the bottom-feeders. Those were pretty in and out. It was only as they climbed the ladder that things were beginning to get tangled. Everyone seemed to have an opinion on Taka, many of them comparing him to his brother (and not particularly favorably in many cases). Some of them seemed frightened, but most of them just seemed--disheartened or unsurprised by the investigation.

Next on the list was Nala Calame, who had been talked about with much favor by her coworkers. Rajah and Copper both liked her too, but they also both knew that appearances could be deceiving and that they needed to set aside their personal feelings on the matter.

When she appeared in the doorway, Copper still smiled and gestured towards the chair that had been set out for her.

“Good morning, Miss Calame. We apologize for keeping you from work, hopefully this will not take long. Did you sign the nondisclosure agreement that the secretary had for you?”

The document had detailed that anything discussed here could not be discussed with anyone, especially those within the investigation. To do so could be considered an obstruction of justice and handled accordingly.

NALA AND RAJ: When Nala got the notice from the police that it was her turn to be questioned, she got the same feeling in her gut  she got whenever she was around Taka at all. It made her feel a little sick, a little on edge-- like something she couldn’t put her finger on. For years, she’d tried to ignore than feeling if only because Simba loved his uncle so much. He’s so weird, Nala used to say, wrinkling her nose up. Sometimes Simba acted offended and other times he just laughed it off like Nala was joking, like of course Taka was weird, but weird in a good, friendly way-- the way that clowns could be weird.

But Nala couldn’t get rid of that creepy feeling. Over the past year that she’d returned to Swynlake, the feelings had doubled-over with guilt because Taka had been nothing but kind to her. She’d been put in an excellent position in the company. She had time to do her passion project with the Lyons Foundation. He let her hire her own interns, let her work so many hours from home after she’d shattered her knee-- he’d been nothing but a kind and fair boss to her. 

Still the feeling persisted. It was wrong, Nala had been telling herself for months now. She tried to weed it out. But it crept back in always, the guilt screaming on its heel.

Now? Now--

Nala felt guilty for not listening to her gut. Now everything was suddenly suspicious to her: every smile Taka had given her, every project and favor and nicety. What if he’d been trying to hide something all along and she’d fallen for it? What if she had implicated herself in something and not realized it?

What if she was overreacting right now? 

All these thoughts boiled away inside her as she arrived at the police station, led back at once to a room. She smiled at Copper and Rajah as she entered, giving a polite nod and offering to shake their hands. 

“Yes, yes I did. Thank you,” she said to Copper. Then she sat down, crossing her legs at once, trying to get nestled in the chair. “I... I’ll do my best to answer any questions you have.

And Nala would-- she just didn’t know if she could.

COPPER: Copper chewed on his lip a little, glancing at Rajah as Nala settled into the chair. She was one of the first people from higher up that they were interviewing. Though, not the first person who had been around the Lyons family for so long. (In some cases, generations, even.) They hadn’t interviewed Sarabi or Simba, who besides Taka were the last remaining Lyons--at least as far as they had been able to uncover.

Nala was just about the closest thing, according to everyone else. And, she was so sweet, both Rajah and Copper thought so. The likelihood of her having anything to do with this was slim. It made him feel awful about it, it made him feel tired.

He took a few steps to the side, turning on the camera recorder in the corner.

“Thank you, that’s appreciated. And, this interview will be recorded for the records, and anything said on tape can be used in court. You may, however, ask us to stop at any time, though, you must know a note will be made that you said things off record.”  

Sighing, he walked back over towards the table and sat down in one of the chairs across from Nala, lacing his fingers together and placing them on the table top.

“Now, for the easy part, just the simple things, like how long you’ve been working for InterPride, what you do for them, your relationship to Taka Lyons, your relationship with the Lyons family. Anything that you think could be of importance and we will go from there.”

NALA: The easy part?

Nala didn’t find those questions so easy. It was funny-- if she and Copp had been out for coffee or tea and he’d asked her those things, Nala would tackle the question with a splitting smile, the words bubbling to her lips without pause. And it’s not like Nala didn’t want to talk about these things now; she simply didn’t know where to start. She wanted to be concise, clear, helpful, but she wasn’t certain that she should be telling Copper the same things she would tell a friend. Or perhaps that was exactly what she was supposed to do.

Nala just didn’t want to leave anything out. Justice, to Nala, was extremely important. It was perhaps one of the most important things in the world. Her stomach was already queasy with the thought she could have obstructed justice without meaning to.

But Nala just nodded, hiding her insecurity as best as she could. That was all she had to do: do her best.

“Well-- I’ve been working at InterPride as the Associate CFO for InterPride’s Corporate Social Responsibility branch for over a year now. I think it's been about...a year and five months,” she said. “I began in January 2016. My primary responsibilities are to oversee InterPride’s initiatives to give back to the community and support projects in line with InterPride’s mission and vision to provide safe workplaces for people regardless of their Magick or Mundus status. A lot of my job involves-- overseeing contracts for expansions, making sure they meet environmental regulations and don’t contribute to gentrification of at-risk communities, balancing our CSR budget and allocating funds...planning local fundraisers sometimes,” she added, thinking about last year’s fundraiser for fairy home preservation. Though she’d come in quite late on that one, mostly handling the execution, not the planning itself.

“InterPride also lobbies Parliament and sponsors bills that support pro-Magick efforts. Sometimes I help with those efforts but my counterpart in the London office typically does that,” said Nala. “I-- also, as my own personal side project have been preparing to start the Lyons Foundation with Sarabi Lyons.”

She wracked her brain but that pretty much covered the first part of his question. Nala took another breath.

“As for my relationship with the family and with Taka...well...they raised me,” said Nala, smiling a little more. “My father was a biology teacher before he came to work at InterPride himself, in the environmental regulations department. I grew up with the Lyons. My mother and Sarabi are best friends,” explained Nala. “I...went to school with Simba, I went to university with him-- we-- we were supposed to get married actually,” she snorted. She wouldn’t have mentioned it but she was scared of including too little. “It was a sort of outdated custom, my father is a very traditional Muslim man but-- he understood when we both mutually decided to break the engagement. Um, following...Mufasa’s death, I… I went back to London and was working at a nonprofit devoted to creating new technologies to ensure clean water in developing countries...but I came back when Taka offered me this job.”

She adjusted in her chair.

“I-- didn’t know why he did but he told me he was worried about Simba and so he was moving the offices back to Swynlake to be closer to him. Simba has had a lot of trouble dealing with his father’s death so…of course I wanted to help and be there for him. Taka gave me this really amazing job, just a few years out of uni, and he’s supported the projects I’ve wanted to take on and gave me an intern. I’ve been rather happy, professionally speaking,” said Nala. And now she hesitated again.

It was that strange cognitive dissonance between her head and her heart. Her head told her that she owed Taka for everything he’d done for herself, Simba-- even Sarabi to some extent, taking over InterPride in the first place. But her heart had never liked him. Her heart found him a bit creepy, whereas Simba just found him “weird” in a “haha” way.

“Of all the Lyons though-- Taka and I have never been close,” she started slower. “I...didn’t like that...he sort of came between Simba and Mufasa’s relationship in uni and a bit in college too. Simba would always run off to his apartment,” she said, rolling her eyes a bit. “I dunno if-- that’s probably irrelevant. And I am grateful for everything he’s done for me. I’m glad that I get to work at InterPride again and live here in Swynlake and be here for the Lyons. I owe them so much.”

COPPER: All the information about her job at InterPride matched up with the information that they had on file, which Copper flicked idly through as he listened to her spiel. All the dates matched, all the titles, and responsibilities. They didn’t care about that. They didn’t think that there would be anything wrong with it, anything suspicious.

What they wanted was information on Taka, not Mr. Lyons, CEO of InterPride. So far, they hadn’t interviewed anyone who knew Taka on any sort of personal level. He didn’t go out and get drinks with his employees. He very rarely visited their offices. They saw him in meetings and occasionally stalking the halls, but to many, he was a mysterious overseer. A stark contrast to Mufasa, most reported, who had treated his employees like family. That was what they were interested in. Knowing who Taka was, building a more personal profile of the man—it would help their case.

The whole thing about the marriage was definitely…interesting, but Copper dismissed its importance, what would it have to do with Taka, anyways?

It only got interesting after Mufasa’s death, the way Nala told it. Copper sat up a little straighter, as his gut simultaneously dropped downwards.

Copper had several follow up questions, they jumped easily to his lips. Perhaps it was because he was already suspicious of Taka, maybe that was why the threads were easier to draw between Nala’s words. They all led back to one thing: Mufasa. It wouldn’t be that shocking of a story, had to be, actually, one of the oldest of mankind: brother kills brother for his power. The Fey’s Gold—now, that was the piece that wasn’t clicking. Which was frustrating, because that’s what they had evidence on. Mufasa’s death? For all intents and purposes, it really did look like an accident, and any evidence would’ve been washed away long, long ago.

“Thank you, Nala. Just a few follow up questions to that, if you will. Firstly, you said Simba has been having a lot of trouble with Mufasa’s death? Would you say it is—more than a normal level of grief? And, do you know what might be causing it, if it is? Don’t worry, he’s not going to get in trouble. We’re just trying to get a full picture.”

Copper shifted a little in his seat. It was funny, because the thing that Nala said was probably irrelevant had sparked Copper’s interest the most.

“As for Simba’s relationship with Taka, would you care to elaborate a little more on that? In your opinion, how did Taka come between Mufasa and Simba? Did Simba not have a good relationship with Mufasa? Did Taka not have a good relationship with Mufasa?”

NALA: Nala didn’t expect these follow-up questions.

Her eyebrows shot up, then furrowed just as quickly as they came. Questions about Simba-- which made her heart turn to steel in her chest, even though the guilt was cold as ice in the rest of her veins. Questions about Mufasa’s death, about Simba’s relationship to Taka, about his relationship to Mufasa-- about Taka and Mufasa. Nala doubted any of this was relevant to the investigation. How could it be? It was all old news by now, years and years old. It wore heavy on her heart to think about and she didn’t want to go trudging toward that old pain; unearthing it would make it burn.

But then again, what did Nala really know about what this investigation was and why it was coming to light now? She didn’t know. And so now she worried-- worried for Simba, who was finally finding some peace after all these years, and Sarabi too. Her desire for justice butted heads with her desire to protect these people, who were the dearest to her heart.

“That’s all a bit-- complicated,” she said after a half-second, and this wasn’t a lie. It was complicated. Nala hadn’t thought about the whole mess that was Simba-and-Mufasa-and-the-future-of-InterPride for a long time, but it’d been a heartache then too. “Simba loved his father more than-- more than anything. He wanted to please Mufasa and make him proud but his father didn’t always… listen, I suppose, the way that Simba wanted him to.”

Nala herself had never really understood Simba’s feelings there. She thought it was an honor to serve InterPride. And because she didn’t understand…

“...and I suppose Taka did listen, more than...more than Mufasa sometimes. Simba’s always been very fond of his uncle too so whenever he got upset or didn’t like what Mufasa told him, he just-- called up Taka or ran away to Taka’s apartment. I can’t, erm, tell you a lot about Taka and Mufasa really. I only know what I heard from Simba and my own dad, who--well, Taka became COO and lots of people in the London offices thought it was a bit undeserved. Nepotism and all. But Mufasa always saw the best in people.” She nodded, her heart panging, as she remembered-- seeing Mufasa’s smile clearly in her head.

She missed that smile and the way she felt--strong and self-assured-- when he turned it her way.

“As for… Mufasa’s death and Simba’s… grief, I mean, he was...he was there,” she said much softer. She looked down at the table for a brief second before she met Copp’s eyes again. “During the car crash. He was in the car. I think it’s been harder for him… because of that and surviving when his father didn’t.”

COPPER: This wasn’t surprising either, not really. At least, not the part about a kid under pressure butting heads with his father. That was--normal.

What intrigued him was the accident and Taka’s relationship with Simba. Obviously it wasn’t something that Simba discussed with Nala, which meant something. And they wouldn’t get the full story until they sat down with the prodigal son, himself. He had this feeling in his gut that Nala didn’t know anything, at least, nothing as to what Taka had been up to. She could just be a good actress, but he’d been taught how to look for a liar, and Nala did not seem like a liar to him. Which meant, outside of speculation, she wasn’t really any use to them.

It kept coming back to the accident, Taka assuming the role of CEO. Had second in command not been enough for him? Had Simba somehow been involved? (That thought was very brief, and unlikely, considering Simba appeared to have no interest in running InterPride, though he was still benefiting off its profit.)

Copper nodded his head at her, rubbing a hand over his beard. He was weighing his options now. Leave things as they are, or press a little further, try to dig into Taka’s mysterious past (of which there was very little papertrail outside of his school reports--all which were rather excellent academically.) But, if he dug further, he ran the risk of Nala putting pieces together that they didn’t want people putting together yet. Namely, that this was more than just a simple embezzlement case. But--maybe she could give them information without knowing that was what she was doing.

“Do you think it was deserved, then? Taka becoming COO? Taking over as CEO?” he prodded, trying to find the edge of her loyalty. “I know you said he’s given you free rein over your--Lyons Foundation project. Has he allotted similar freedoms to other branches of the business?  You’re Associate CFO, so, in your opinion are funds being allocated in the company’s best interest?”

NALA: She raised her eyebrows at Copper. She was beginning to wonder what he was really after.

She supposed it didn’t matter. Nala was not a liar, as best as she could be, that is. She did lie sometimes, but this was all anonymous and honestly...she didn’t feel a loyalty to Taka the way she felt to Simba and Sarabi and Mufasa. She should. She knew she should. But everytime she saw Taka in that chair at the long conference table, looking over the rest of them, king of the proverbial jungle, she thought to herself-- It should be Simba.

“Honestly-- no, I don’t think it’s deserved. Taka was more or less estranged from the Lyons for a period. His parents and him, I knew they had a difficult relationship-- it was only Mufasa who wanted Taka involved. But-- like I said, I think Mufasa saw the best in people. And if he trusted Taka, then-- well, he was right for the job,” said Nala though her gut told her otherwise. “And CEO, I mean, Simba was in no state, so it was either the board nominated someone who wasn’t a Lyons or promoted from within or Taka, as the last eligible Lyons, took over. It wasn’t an ideal situation.”

In fact, as she said it, it felt too convenient. But maybe that was just Copper, planting seeds of doubt in her head. (But no, no-- something about it wasn’t right. Nala felt a little sick.)

“Erm, as for my job well-- I, I proposed the Lyons Foundation with Sarabi Lyons. I’m not sure other employees have taken that initiative. My other projects have all been in the work for years and years though-- developing communities takes a long time-- really, I...I think all my projects come from Mufasa’s years…”

And she trailed off.

Because even she thought that was suspicious now.

She looked directly at Copper, knowing that he could feel the shift in her mood too. She didn’t bother to hide it. So Nala sat up straighter. “Yes, Taka has not afforded me any new projects since I started.”

“No new projects?” echoed Sheriff Patel. “Do you know if your London counterpart is handing that?”

Nala shook her head “Not from what I’m aware of. Like I said, she’s basically a lobbyist. Her duties are a lot different than mine.”

COPPER: It wasn’t an ideal situation.

Except it was, for one person.

Copper looked at Rajah when he spoke and he was glad to know that his partner was on the same page as himself. That this was highly suspect. If it was Copper’s place to say (and it could be, if he wanted it to be), he’d ask if Nala found any of this suspicious, but he had a feeling she was already on her way there, and at the moment, he didn’t want to encourage anymore putting it together on her own.

He had a feeling she was the type to take justice into her own hands. Maybe that was because the first time he’d met her, her best friend (whom this investigation involved) had tried to beat a man senseless. Albeit the bastard had deserved it, but, birds of a feather. Which meant Nala could get herself into trouble if she started poking around. Copper felt the urge to curb any sort of suspicion for the moment.

And, he was going with his gut on this one: Nala didn’t know anything. She’d basically confirmed what they already knew: that Taka was not well-loved among the InterPride Incorporation, that he was estranged for most of his adult life from his family, and most importantly; that the funds were not being allocated properly. But, she wasn’t involved in crunching the numbers. They would know more when they got the analysis back from the financiers they’d sent the last five years’ worth of profit to.

“I know this seems abrupt, but I think that is all we need from you at this time. Thank you, Nala. Your testimony has been helpful and we will probably be getting in touch with you in the future to discuss a few of the things we went over today in more detail. I’d like to remind you that what transpired today cannot be discussed with anyone, InterPride employee or otherwise. Now, if you have any questions, feel free.”

He gestured invitingly, leaning back in his seat a little. 

NALA: And just like that, it was over just as it started.

That’s how it felt to Nala, who briefly frowned. She had just felt like she was beginning to understand the point of all this. Copper’s questions had nudged at doors that had remained closed for years now and Nala wanted to push. She wanted to be on the other side of the table, if she were even more honest. Because what else had they found out? What picture were they putting together with all their pieces? 

Part of Nala wanted to open her mouth and tell Copp everything-everything-- all about Simba’s accident in detail, at least, what she knew. That wasn’t it really strange that Mufasa, even slightly drunk himself, would get in a car with a wasted Simba? Wasn’t it strange that Simba would insist on driving in the first place? That Nala hadn’t even seen Simba after he’d been taken aside...by Taka. He’d disappeared after that. 

And then, when he did turn up, Mufasa was dead, his arm was broken, and everything had changed. 

The only problem was, if Nala did open her big mouth about all this, what if Simba got in more trouble? She couldn’t get Simba in trouble. He didn’t deserve it (even if he thought he did) and Kiara didn’t deserve it. Berlioz didn’t deserve it. So Nala kept her mouth shut about these details, knowing deep down that they were her puzzle pieces only. 

She just needed to figure out how to fill in the rest of the gaps.

So Nala just shook her head and smiled small at Copper and Rajah. “No, nothing springs to mind right now. But-- I’ll let you know if it does or if I think of anything,” she said. Or if I discover something else.