Chapter Text
The sheriff takes him through the town again, pointing out different stores that may or may not have been here when they had occupied it. Lefu doesn’t remember all too much about the specifics about this place. It has been a long time and giving headspace to unimportant, soon-to-collapse places that he has taken over in the name of the empire wouldn’t leave enough space for the important thoughts. Like where is the next clean toilet and how soon does he get that relic weapon?
Justice - stupid name, reminds him of his sister’s second fiancé who insisted on being called by his nick name from the army; and doesn’t it make for a lovely dinner saying things like ‘Hotshot, pass me the soup’? Lefu liked him him for one and only for one reason: because it used to drive his mother insane. A part of him thinks that was his sister’s intention all along... - leads him to a flower shop that is currently untended. The shop is inconveniently placed on the porch of a two-story house on whose door the sheriff gently knocks. It takes a moment before the door is opened and a shaggy looking man greets them. His eyes widen briefly.
“Uh oh. Have I overslept?” the man asks.
“A little.” Justice says with a shrug. “Don’t worry about it, just get ready. We have a new recruit.”
The sheriff nods to Lefu and the way the man grabs his wrist as he says the next words trigger a distant memory.
“That’s cool. Yeah, I’ll just grab my jacket and be right with you.”
Lefu blinks as the door closes again.
“That’s the captain?” he asks.
He remembers the man. That guy used to be the second in command back then. Troubling how people climb up the ladder in the Alliance. Very troubling, but also very convenient. Maybe he doesn’t even need to take them out.
“Nah, that’s Unsuur.” Justice says. “He’s deputy. And a good one at that. It’s just that he’s got a lot on his plate currently.”
Unsuur looks to be as competent as the name suggests. Somewhere in his thirties, eyes drifting as he speaks, barely more muscle mass than he himself currently sports in his untrained, under-fed state. Lefu remembers him faintly. Back then he was still a lower rank. Junior or… janitor. Neither would surprise him. The Alliance is a mad house, always been so.
“Uhuh.” Lefu says.
“Though, to be frank, I wish he would come to work on time more often.” Justice says with a sigh. “I hope this won’t last long, now. But what do I know? It’s the bachelor’s life for me through and through. Somebody gotta keep the town in check, right?”
Juatice laughs at this. Lefu really doesn’t know what to say to that.
“Yeah, totally.” he says.
The door opens again and out steps Unsuur, smelling fresher, dressed in Civil Corps uniform, a sword hanging on his hips. There is a notable stain of unknown origin on his jacket, right next to the star on his chest. Nobody says something until Justice clears his throat and introduces Lefu to the deputy.
“Nice to meet you. Welcome to Sandrock.” Unsuur says. “It’s good to have another colleague. I hope you’ll stay.”
“Why shouldn’t I?” Lefu asks.
“Some people don’t like sand, say it’s coarse and gets everywhere. They heard Sandrock got greener, but the desert’s still there.” Unsuur says in a deadpan voice. “The desert is always there. Like it’s watching over us. Making sure we don’t walk off too far.”
Lefu struggles not to frown at the man and hums as an answer.
“Well, now that you’re acquainted.” the sheriff says. “I gotta deal with some paperwork to get everything sorted. Unsuur, I want you to show him the ropes.”
“You want me to train the new deputy?” Unsuur asks.
“Exactly.” Justice says with a smile. “It’s time you step into the next part of your career. From trainee to trainer. I know you’ll do fine.”
“Wow. That’s a huge honour.” Unsuur says.
“I’ll see you guys later.” Justice farewells them.
Lefu looks after him, feeling betrayed. The sheriffs leaves him with this guy? Does the man want this town to burn to the ground? Because if it’s going to be as exhausting as he sees it on the horizon, this undercover gig might not last until the end of the day. He sighs.
“I was once deputy in training, but now I am deputy.” Unsuur muses. “Wow, who would have thought? I am training a deputy… I thought I had already reached everything in my career, but here I am. I have come full circle.”
Lefu shoots him a look.
“You can become deputy, too.” Unsuur continues. “One piece of advice: Good memory and hard work will get you there. Maybe other stuff too, but that is what did it for me.”
“I see.” Lefu says.
“Yep.” Unsuur says with a nod. “Okay, let’s start with the basics. There are 367 rules in the Civil Corps handbook. You’ll need to learn them, but don’t worry, I’ll lend you my copy. If you like I can quiz you every week.”
Here, on the porch of this two-story house/flower shop, Lefu’s world tips a little sideways. He stares at the man with too much pressure in his eyes, hoping something will happen. Maybe make the deputy’s head explode or let space trash crash from above, taking him out instantly as this rathole in the desert burns to ashes. He just gets a headache.
“We should probably start with some training.” Unsuur says. “When I started I had a lot of catching up to do. Strength alone isn’t everything. You need to know how to handle a weapon.”
“Do I get to shoot a relic weapon now?” Lefu asks hopefully.
“I don’t use guns, but I wasn’t talking about these kinds of weapons anyways.” Unsuur says.
His shoulders slump.
“We have a much better weapon than any relic gun could ever be.” Unsuur continues.
“You have a relic cannon?” Lefu asks, hope reignited.
“No, we have teamwork and communication.” Unsuur says.
Lefu’s shoulders would slump again, further, deep down into the sand if it was possible to open a trench as deep as his disappointment.
“I will introduce to the rest of the team first. Let’s go and find Captain, he should be on patrol right about now.” Unsuur says, lets go of his wrist and walks past him up the street.
Lefu, wondering if gardening would have been the more humane punishment, follows him. They walk back to the main street and have barely made any way when Unsuur points ahead.
“There he is. Very diligent in his duties.” he says and looks at Lefu. “If you ever need help patrolling you can go to Captain. He’s an expert.”
They stop before a tailor, mannequins with sand-proof gear and casual wear standing on the porch. On the table with the cash register - seriously whats wrong with the Alliance? They are openly asking to be robbed. Who in their right mind puts their money unsupervised on the street? - lounges a cat. The cat wears a deputy hat and shoes. Lefu has a weird feeling about this.
“Hello Captain,” Unsuur says. “This is Levo. He’s our new recruit.”
“Meow.” says the cat and looks at him.
Lefu slowly turns to the man standing next to him.
“That’s the captain?” he asks.
“Don’t let his relaxed posture lure you into a false sense of safety.” Unsuur says. “He’s a professional. Many a mouse have learned that the hard way.”
Lefu stares at him.
“That is the captain?” he repeats.
Unsuur looks at him as if he doesn't understand the question and nods. He blinks. That’s got to be a joke. He’s reporting to a cat?
Madness. The Alliance is a mad house.
He shakes his head in disbelief.
“Okay.” he says resigned.
“Cool, now that you know the team. We can begin with training.” Unsuur says and his flat tone of voice somehow sounds pleased. “Let’s go somewhere else. This calls for the right atmosphere. Too bad I haven’t brought any music.”
They leave the cat behind and turn towards the end of the town. The train station, the demonic workshop and the farm in view, they make use of the open space next to the oasis. Tourists mingle on the station and around the bus stop, watching them as interested as only someone waiting for transportation can.
“Okay, this should be good.” the deputy says.
Lefu expects him to draw his sword. He pulls out his and stuffs the bag into his pocket.
As he unsheathes it, Unsuur says, “Let’s say you and a coworker got into an argument. How would you react in this situation?”
“Pardon?” Lefu asks, bronze sword halfway pulled out.
“Good start.” Unsuur says and grabs his wrist again. “Best to start by apologising. You’ve probably said something you didn’t mean. Happens to all of us when we’re angry. Or sleep-deprived. Or been just peed and puked on. I’ve been there.”
It is the bazillionth time today that Lefu stares at a man dumbfounded. This man he stares at dumbfounded looks back at him expectantly. Lefu feels his dumbfounded look doesn’t have the desired effect. Maybe dumbfoundery is a normal way of living in the Alliance.
“So... what would you do next?” Unsuur asks when the pause turns into a long, long moment. “Don’t worry about wrong answers. This is not a quiz. Not this time, anyway.”
“I have no idea what you want from me.” Lefu says.
“That’s not a bad one.” Unsuur says and plays with his wrist band. “Very direct. I like directness, but some people might find offense in that. But I think it’s better to just ask what the other wants from you instead of passive aggressively expecting you to take over so they can eat, more so if you didn’t know they hadn’t eaten yet all day. But how would you know they hadn’t eaten yet?”
“Uhh.” Lefu says. “Yeah that’s on them.”
Unsuur hums in agreement.
“Sometimes you can’t take the blame for things you haven’t done. Or haven’t thought of doing.” he says. “But most of the time it’s not worth the fight. Especially not at 4 am. Actually, any time after 11pm.”
Lefu glances awkwardly at the tourists watching them and puts away his sword again. They instantly lose interest in them and whatever they’re doing. What exactly are they doing? Either way he’s getting hungry. He pulls out the snacks he found at the Civil Corps office and pops one crunchy, baken treat into his mouth.
“Oh hey, that looks just like Justice’s snack bag for Captain.” the deputy says.
Fish. The taste of fish in his mouth. Not a salty, pleasing crunch but a fishy Alliance punch. His mouth makes a number of disjointed movements.
“It’s not.” he says defensively and puts it away again.
“Course not. Why would you have Justice’s snack bag?” Unsuur replies. “It’s not easy reassuring your coworker that you haven’t taken their stuff, just put it away because the house is a mess. But you have just said it matter-of-factly. Thats the only way. You’re pretty good at this.”
“...thanks.” Lefu croaks as the last crumble goes down his throat.
“I think we can go to the next lecture.” the deputy says, nods to himself andshifts his weight slightly. “I will show you now how you patrol.”
Lefu is silently reaching his limit