Chapter 4 - Accusation

Intruder detected.

"I know we don't have a doorbell, but that doesn't mean this is an open house."

It had been three hours since he started working, and two hours since the warning. He no longer felt like ignoring the intruder, who didn't seem to have any mind leaving, or reveal their intentions.

"...We can continue pretending I didn't notice anything." Marco said, handling pliers and scissor in his hands as he carved open another vest. "But you should know, I have security installed all around this place."

A bunch of his cameras hid within the piles of scraps and the ceiling, all connected to his chip. They had given him the warning, albeit a bit late. Since then, he'd kept the video screen in his vision, but it showed nothing out of the ordinary except for the flashing message.

"Where is it?" A female voice filled the room from all corners at once. "I know you don't have it on you."

"...It's you." His hands didn't stop moving while he looked for her. The goblin was snoring away on a heap of junk, keeping armor and helmet on as he'd instructed. Otherwise, nothing. He had no blind spots in his system, and the place was too small for him to have overlooked anything. So, wherever she was hiding, she hadn't moved from that spot after being detected.

"I wondered who it was..." Marco said. He knew he hadn't imagined things, but he figured it was just the common thief who hadn't got the message yet that this was a place off-limits. For the cloaked girl to be the intruder was unexpected.

"That saves me some trouble." He left his doubts for later. "I don't think I could have found you myself. Did someone tell you where to find me, or did you stalk me after we met?"

"Enough." Her bitter voice cut through the room. "Give it back to me."

"...Sorry?"

"What do you want for it?" Her impatience thickened the air in the room. "I can respect the outcome. I lost. But I need it back, so just tell me, what do you want?"

"...You're not making any sense if you act like that." He put down his utensils after finding her within the shadows of the staircase, using his own eyes. She was in full view of one of his cameras, but it wouldn't show her on them until she moved.

"Let's start at the beginning. I'm Marco. Nice to meet you too. How are you, and what's your name?"

"...Jeanne." The girl stepped into the light, revealing herself. She shrouded most of her body with the same dark cloak he'd seen her in as she dragged her feet. Her back was hunched, and she tapped her way forward along the staircase, struggling to stand. Her upper body swayed out of her control until she leaned against the staircase for support. With a grunt she tried distancing herself from it, but failed spectacularly as she almost planted herself on the ground face-first, again, relying on both of her arms to keep her standing. Marco watched her, wondering. What was this? A ruse?

"I'm willing to pay." She said with a voice that didn't fit her appearance. If it was an act of feigned weakness, it was a questionable performance. "What's your price?"

"...I still don't follow you." What had he done this time? Hadn't that been their first meeting?

"You stole it." He looked at her, waiting for her to continue. "My... My necklace. I want it... I want it back."

Heavy gasps of her own interrupted her as if she'd held her breath and finally let go. Marco lowered his suspicion somewhat, but not his guard.

"You lost a necklace?...Ah, that's why I heard you unlike last time. Must have been a rare stealth item. What a shame. You have my condolences, but... What's it got to do with me? I don't have it."

"No, I know it was you." Her poisonous gaze fixated on him, but it lacked strength, as did her wavering voice. "I should have... known. It has... It has to be you. You! You were the only... the only one, I came in... in contact with... other than Winston, and I... I lost him. He never... caught up to me. It's you. I know it!"

"I'm sorry to tell you... Jeanne, right? But I don't know anything about this." Something didn't seem right about this, but...

"Liar!" She didn't leave him time to think. "I knew you were planning something when you were pretending to help!"

Her cloak twirled around her as her hands shot out from beneath, holding onto a pair of daggers. Long sleeves of black covered her arms, connecting with her gloves - silk gloves, if he wasn't mistaken. His gaze lingered on her weapons that didn't show a single scratch on the blinding steel that reflected the dim light.

Hostile detected.

With her knees bend, she was ready to pounce on him when the piles of scraps around her began to rattle. She jumped back in a start, her eyes darting to the crumbling heaps. Hollow iron pipes revealed themselves from underneath the trash, each an arm thick and attached to constructions of metal. The small artillery had its spider-like legs soldered into the ground as their gun barrels locked onto their target, humming in resonance as they prepared to unleash their onslaught.

Opening fire.

Marco withheld the command at the last moment, watching as Jeanne inched backwards like a cornered animal. Her feet brushed the staircase, and she almost lost her balance again. Despite that, she didn't have the look of admitting defeat. Before she did anything stupid, he reached out to her, hoping to placate her suspicions.

"Please believe me when I say, I didn't steal anything. From you." He tried his best to sound sincere. "If I had, I'd always be willing to trade any rare items I acquire. Even back to their original owners. I have somewhat of a reputation, so, ask around, if you don't believe me. I'm a tinkerer, more than a scavenger or a vulture. Coin over items, and friend to all who come to do business."

"No." She shook her head; her whisper sounding like a plea. "No... No... You have to... have to be... the one. Because... Because if not... you... then, I... Who did...? I... What... am I..."

"Are you alright?" Because she'd revealed herself, Marco could have one of his cameras zoom in on her face. The display showed a part of her eyes, which was enough to tell her story. Her eye bags had bags, spawning like billows on the sea. She couldn't stop blinking as she zoned out, losing her focus for a longer time than she kept it. A second, closer look told him she was struggling to keep her weapons steady. She tangled with them, tightening her grip as if she hoped they would help steady her shaking legs.

Her appearance left him speechless. What did she hope to accomplish here? There wasn't any point in talking to her like this. He grabbed a ball of iron lying around on his workbench and hurled it at the uncaring little knight sleeping through all the turmoil. The gong chiming through the room made the girl's head snap in its direction as if she'd awoken from a dream.

"Wh-Wha-Wha-What's happening? Huh?"

The goblin donning his armor leaped up from his peaceful sleep. His head whirled around, just as lost as Jeanne's until his eyes centered in on the girl.

"A new human!" He said, jumping up and down on what used to be his bed. "Hello, nice to meet you! How are you? What's your name? I'm... Metalslug...gong...gong...man... Ouch, why does my head hurt? And my ears are ring-ringing..."

"Take the girl and escort her out." Marco sank deeper into his chair. His plans for her would have to wait for another time.

"Ah, yes, okay." The knight walked over to her and stretched out his tiny palm. "If I may, my lady?"

...What was Nyle teaching him?

Meanwhile, the girl had lost it again, sleeping with open eyes, it seemed. It took her a while to notice someone was speaking to her from below. She looked down, staring at the armored palm as if she had never seen a hand before. Her own hesitated for it, but she pulled it back in a flash when the clouds in her eyes dispersed, returning into a dull focus. She glared at him, or at least attempted to, before turning to leave. Marco watched as the goblin tried to help her up the stairs, but she refused him each time. She struggled her way up herself and...

"Wait! Ah, look out!"

He heard the goblin's outcry first, which was followed by a hollow thud. Then a barrage of banging came from the staircase, intertwining with the goblin's pitiful attempts to calm her down.

"No, no. Ahh...miss..wait. Stop, stop, stop! Locked! The door! It is locked!"

Marco couldn't refrain from snickering as he went back to his work. Reinforcing doors. Arguably, his greatest investment yet. One deafening bang later, the goblin returned to him.

"She was nice." He allowed him to take off his helmet, revealing his wide grin. "I want to meet again. And talk lots and lots. Will she come back?"

"Who knows?" She didn't look like wanting to drop the matter. Understandable if she lost a rare item. He wondered how that happened when the goblin's squirming around the workbench distracted him, but it also made him remember something.

"Did you lock the door again?"

"Yes!"

The goblin held his chest high with his hands placed on his hip. Then, he tilted his head. A little while later, his posture crumbled, and he inched backwards, sneaking away when he thought Marco wasn't looking. He scurried up the staircase where he 'shht' at the loud clicking sound of his key turning before swaggering back down, pretending nothing had ever been out of place.

Marco thought that would have discouraged him enough to leave him in peace, but he was mistaken. Again, the goblin came crawling with his shoulders tugged, glancing up at him while he circled around the workbench.

"What is it?" He stopped working and turned to him.

"...Lesson."

"I can't today. I'm busy. And it's not even morning yet."

"You wake up in the morning. I woke up." The little guy's head and ears deflated like a balloon as he sunk onto the ground, drawing circles with his sharp fingernail. "So, it is morning... Lesson... Marster promised... Every morning."

He didn't even know where to begin with correcting that.

"Fine." Marco sighed, relenting to his whims. He looked for something that needed sorting, hoping to get some simple work done while they talked. "But we'll keep it short for today. What do you want to learn about?"

"Who was new human?" The goblin jumped onto his legs as if everything had been an act. His eyes lost any hesitation as they almost popped out of their sockets, beaming at Marco. "Why are you taller than new human? Why was... she thinner? Right, she! I know that one! Nyle taught me. Her voice was not like Marster's, but like mine! High! A girl! Why is she a girl? How did she become one? Why are you not a girl? Why am I not a girl? Why is she not a he? Does she have a name? Oh, I know a new name! Goldgirlshegongiron..."

Marco messaged the spot between his eyes and chugged another concentration potion before the previous one ran out. It would be a long and sleepless night. Where was Nyle when you needed him for babysitting?

"How about we begin with learning what the word 'short' means?"