"This...I can't accept this!" A woman, younger than Csenge by a handful of years, gripped the documents with such ferocity that her nails poked holes through them. Her expression was a common enough one in the adventurer's line of work, the sort of expression that told her exactly how this was going to go down.
First, denial.
"I honestly can't believe I paid for this sham service! Have you even tried to look into this?" She huffed and puffed, pacing around the private room that the Guild set aside for confidential meetings between clients and adventurers.
"I know for certain that my husband's cheating on me!"Csenge stayed seated, her own expression schooled in one of academic indifference, one worn many times before whenever a student tried to argue for a higher grade.
"If you would read through the notes of my investigation again, miss, all incidents you've mentioned have had a very benign and innocent reason."Second, anger.
"No!" The woman hurled the papers onto the ground. They scattered, slid, were trampled underfoot as she stormed up towards Csenge, awkwardly side-stepping around the table before she was able to tower over her. It was an attempt at intimidation, undoubtedly. But grandiose efforts at intimidation felt...almost laughable coming from a cloth merchant's wife.
"I will not stand for this! Do you think you'll be paid for such half-assed effort? Aren't you a wizard? Haven't you tried reading his mind, or placing him under some truth-speaking geas? What about summoning a spirit to track his daily movements! Or simply divining the past? You haven't done anything have you? And you'd just sit there and say that you're done?!"There was an intense desire to launch into a lecture in that moment, about how the rights of law-abiding citizens could not be infringed upon without authorization from the courts, and about how it would honestly be a gross violation of personal privacy if Csenge was to do even half of what the woman was bringing up. Nevermind the fact that she
couldn't do any of those things at the drop of a hat either though. Instead, she took a breath, counted to three, and said,
"Because physical evidence and eyewitness testimony is enough in this case. Trust me, if I had any suspicion that there was something else going on, or if your husband was covering his tracks in a manner that required it, I would have cast a spell to assist in the investigation. However, all individuals associated were forthcoming, and nothing in his past activities hinted at a tryst."Third, bargaining.
The woman stared down at the investigator for a while longer, then fell back to sit on the table.
"So...I'm just supposed to accept that? Because nothing was found this time, nothing can be done? I...I, that can't be right. Can't you continue for another week or two? I can still pay. There has to be something...I just can't..." Her hands curled over her dress. It was a fine one, better than any Csenge herself owned.
"You may request another job through the Adventurer's Guild if you wish, miss." Csenge said.
"But our contract here has concluded. If you have any further complaints about the work I've done, please bring it up to the receptionist." Honestly, these sorts of cases always caused her a headache. Was there any reason to go through with this subterfuge? Could this not have been solved with a straightforward conversation? Certainly,
she wouldn't have hired someone else to look into her private affairs. Not that she ever got anything close to that in her own life. Pushing her chair away, the investigator stood up, straightening her coat's lapel.
"If you were seeking a reason to divorce him, I would recommend asking a specialist about this. Otherwise, it may be beneficial to look inwards rather than outwards.""A divorce? No, I don't want that. I don't want that, but...oh. Oh no."Was this the fourth stage? The fifth? Csenge cast another glance over at the woman, then briskly walked out. She certainly wasn't being paid enough to deal with
that.
...
Whatever revelatory wailings may be heard in the Guild's private consultation rooms were, thankfully, inaudible compared to the early-morning ruckus of job-seekers. Observing from the second floor, Csenge noted with some distaste that a certain unstable Ingvarr saw it fit to bring a biological hazard back into the halls of the Guild, much to the chagrin of whichever administrative staff would be saddled with the work of cleaning off orc-juice off the floor. Really, the only thing that was decent about that mad cow was her unique magic, one that (though it was becoming somewhat more common over the years) covered nearly all aspects of adventurer work despite technically being a specialization: bolstering one's physique, tracking one's foes, generating tremendous levels of destructive force, and restraining or otherwise debilitating one's target.
Looked like she was having fun bothering a paladin even more diminutive than she was, at least. Csenge turned and took the staircase down to the main floor, stepping into the much sparser line-up of adventurers reporting a completed job and waiting a few minutes before standing before the receptionist.
"The investigation into William Morntrough's infidelity has been concluded, though I suspect the client will remain unhappy with this." Her words were dry, her eyes only half-open. She
had put in the effort, two nights worth of effort, to write down an exhaustive report of the husband's activities. There had been nothing she overlooked, and yet, she doubted there would be anything like a bonus for completing this task.
"Have there been any other noteworthy jobs you can refer me to?"The receptionist was quick to respond.
"Oh, of course. The Mage's College, actually, was g-"
"No, please."
"Then the transcription of the L-"
"No, thank you."
"Oh, actually, Marlowe Bushhound was req-"
"No." Steel-rank was where adventurers began to build a reputation for themselves, and Csenge once again was reminded that the reputation she had built for herself was completely opposed to the direction that she actually wanted to be going.
"I'll look through the board myself.""Of course!" The receptionist beamed.
"If Miss Catherine Morntrough requests your services again, shall I..."Goddesses above, fuck no. That case can only get far messier now, if she read the situation correctly.
"Please let her know that I've taken on a long-term contract, and refer her to one of the others."With that, Csenge strode the perimeter of the armed and ready warriors clustered around the job board, her stuffy attire making her look more like a client than an adventurer. Was there a job out there that'd suit her needs? Unlikely. But she NEEDED a job that would keep her out of town for the next little while, so what was there to do, except patiently wait for people to scatter?
And in any case, she could wait.
Ah, but maybe she should make some effort of hiding instead? In case, Catherine decided to skip the receptionist altogether and chase her down directly. Decisions, decisions...
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