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Chapter 17. The Incident

Luc didn't know how long he had stayed in that position.

The sun had changed its angles countless times until it completely disappeared behind the tree line. He paid it no mind.

Darkness swallowed everything. Before Luc, her features became crystal clear.

Bong. Bong. Bong. Bong. Bong. Bong. Bong. The grandfather clock struck, shattering his dream.

It wasn't a dream, so to speak. Luc had revisited Pisinia, but this time, the ancient city was empty. No familiar faces to haunt him. No old events to remind him of his past failure. Even the urge didn't lurk about, tempting him to snap.

Luc blinked. The pair of large amber irises was the first thing that greeted him when he was back on this plane of reality. They bored into him, without fear or confusion, only something awfully close to a sneer.

Luc couldn't remember the last time he had felt this way. Small. Confusing. Utterly unsettling and unpleasant. It was a human emotion, or many mashed into one.

Her kind was known for that. They were emotional creatures, easily swayed and manipulated. All around, weak. They were the main subjects of his kind's curiosity, pity, and occasionally, scorn, but the longer Luc had been stuck with the Lessers, the more he felt related to them.

He was slowly becoming one of them.

Luc stood up quickly and straightened his frock coat. The perfect iron lines were still there. Nothing had changed. The girl's mind must still be clouded by her long sleep anyway.

Luc watched the girl push herself up while glaring at him with her accusing hazy eyes the whole time. Her shoulders and the top part of her chest were exposed due to the loose sleeping gown—soft curves in the same bronze shade he had seen a million times before, but for some reason, Luc couldn't take his eyes away.

The girl scratched her clavicles absentmindedly, making the dress fall a little further. Luc swallowed. Subtle heat rose to the surface of his fleshy shell—the very same tingling bite that had driven him to her kind in the first place. It had been too long, and at the same time, not long enough to forget...

The girl stared at him with a frown.

"How do you feel?" Luc cleared his throat. His silk necktie felt like a noose.

She huffed and threw the blanket over her head.

What did he even expect?

Luc chewed the inside of his mouth. Rain slapped against the frosty windows, as hard as his sour heart beat. Another long night, it seemed...

"Master!" The door crashed open. Albert ran in, covered in sweat, "We've got to go! Something happened at the construction site."

The coach, battered by the rain, halted in front of a makeshift gate. Mud splashed up to his knees as Luc jumped out. He pointed at the door, and Albert nodded.

Hundreds of people had waited inside impatiently. Their eyes lit up at the sight of Luc. Their conversations died down as he walked in, drenched and muddy like the rest of them. Water dripped from his top hat and coat to form a small puddle on the oak floor.

The wind continued splashing rainwater in through a series of large, uninstalled windows. Most people were shaking from either that or their first up-close encounter with their infamous employer. Luc supposed he didn't disappoint.

He scanned the room. From behind a pile of covered glass panes, two site managers, Patrick and Finn, came forward. Their in-sync movements were graceful for their sizes. The two towered over Luc, dwarfing even Albert, who had just come in. They took turns shaking Luc's hand before Finn came closer and whispered, "The southern wall collapsed. It was a bloody mess. We moved those in the worst conditions to St. Thomas, but...The coppers are here."

A group of men in dark blue uniforms emerged from the back of the crowd as if on cue. Luc recognized the man in the front right away, thanks to their frequent run into each other at the late-night dog rings east side of the city.

The stout officer held out his hand, "Good evening, Master Luc."

"Good evening to you, Inspector Allen." Luc shook it, ignoring how cold and slimy it was.

"Master Luc, I wish I could say it was a delight seeing you here tonight, but, as you can see—Achoo! It's rather an unfortunate e—Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!—vent." Inspector Allen's spits flew everywhere.

Luc wiped his hand on the back of his pants, "I appreciate you coming here at this hour, in this wicked weather. It shows character... As you all know about me, I take pride in everything I do. My workers have always been my top priority. I make sure they are taken care of. Safety is something I don't take lightly. Everything was just fine yesterday when I checked... "

"Of course. It's not that I don't trust you, Master Luc. It's not a matter of trust, really... You know how it is. I have to report everything—Achoo! Excuse me...This is not a small matter. Not at all. Many people got injured. Tsk. It will be a lot of paperwork..."

"Of course, if we could head to my office—"

"He's exploiting us! Officers! This is abuse!" Out of nowhere, a young man pointed his finger and yelled. "We've been working day and night in the worst conditions, barely getting paid or allowed any breaks! They're killing us here! Officers!"

The whole crowd came alive with his accusation.

Patrick turned around. The veins on his forehead pulsated as if they were ready to pop. "That's a damn lie, and you lot know it. Shame on you, Otis! And all of you who agree with his lie! You know we pay you well, better than any other shitty job that your shitty skills can do! And you lot took more breaks than me and Finn! Whoever wants to lie, come forward and lie! I dare you! I'll punch you in the sauce box until your mother can't recognize you!"

Patrick's face turned a shade of fresh tomatoes. His fist clenched. The things that idiot had just said made Patrick and Finn look bad in front of their employer. That was unforgivable. They had worked too hard to be grouped in with those sleazy site managers who only day drank and bullied their workers. On top of that, neither Patrick nor Finn wanted Master Luc to have a wrong impression of their work ethics. That could be dangerous.

Patrick was ready to jump in and teach the young guy a lesson when Finn held him back by his collar.

"Calm down!" Finn gritted through his teeth.

Inspector Allen also yelled at the policemen to stand down. Violence was the last thing he wanted at the moment. Any wrong move and the whole place would explode like dynamite.

Luc could already see his name plastered on every newspaper the next morning. Those journalists could sniff out troubles, especially when they involved him, the way sharks sniffed out blood. If Luc couldn't keep the situation under control, not only would he have to kiss his grand opening goodbye, but also his other businesses would surely be affected.

Yes, he could let nature take its course, but Luc felt now wasn't the time. He wasn't done playing yet.

After all, his business was the thing he had held near and dear for a while. The only thing that got him out the door every morning. So what if he got a little attached?

But everything was changing at a startling rate, even for him.

The working class had gotten tired of being treated like garbage. Every little incident now ticked them off, and they were ready to burn down the whole world.

Frankly, Luc couldn't blame them. A large number of slaves arriving weekly at the city harbor threatened their livelihood. It was the only response the workers got for their "Better pay, shorter hours" demands. The factory and plantation owners couldn't be happier with the new labor resource that they only had to pay for once—one they could abuse and exhaust without worrying about any consequences.

So the cycle continued.

New slaves might not yet replace highly skilled workers, but it was only a matter of time. A revolution was what Luc expected in the near future, but in the meantime time, he would continue setting examples.

"Fellas," Luc turned to the crowd with his arms raised. "Listen to me, please. I sincerely apologize for what happened today. That's something no one wants. It pains me, deeply, to see my workers suffer. You are the business! Without you, nothing would be possible. To show my deepest appreciation and regret, I will pay everyone double until the end of their contracts. No exception! I will pay for the hospital fees of those who are injured. Their families will be compensated for the time they're out of work. I will also cooperate with our city's most respectable officers here," Luc gestured at Inspector Allen and the policemen, "To find out, exactly, the cause of today's tragedy. I want to make sure nothing like this will ever happen again. I understand that some of you may not feel comfortable working for me anymore, and that's alright! Whoever wants to quit would immediately receive their full wages from the site managers, Mr. Patrick and Mr. Finn."

The crowd simmered as people whispered to each other, weighing their options. Luc was sure he had covered all grounds, but who knew what ran through these little heads?

"I still don't think it's fair that—" The young man who had protested earlier spoke again, only to be interrupted by many.

"Oh! For fuck sake! Won't you shut up, Otis?"

"Damn right, You don't speak for us! Who do you think you are, man?"

"Is this fucker serious? We need the money! Our kids need to eat!"

"I'll punch your bloody teeth in if you won't shut up!"

...

The room reached a new boiling point. Inspector Allen stabbed his truncheon forward and screamed, "Everyone calms down! Or I'll arrest all of you!"

Luc picked the dirt under his fingernails without looking up, "You all have until the end of tomorrow to decide. The construction site will remain closed until further notice." Luc reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a chequebook. "I will pay everyone today's wage first. Double, as promised. Whoever wants to get paid, stands in line. Albert, go get the ink and pen."

He waved the chequebook over his head while walking toward the bar. Luc sat down and wiped the dusty marble surface with the sleeve of his coat. The arguments stopped almost immediately, replaced by the rumbling of a hundred or so pairs of feet rushing to form a line. Everyone had their neck craned and their eyes peeled to the front where Luc sat.

"Thank you, Albert." Luc nodded at his right-hand man who had set a bottle of black ink and a gold dip pen down.

He removed his top hat and set it to the side. Luc combed through his wet dark blond hair, dipped his pen in the ink, and signed the first cheque. He then got up and walked over to Otis.

The young man looked startled and frantically searched around for, Luc assumed, an escape route. He jumped as Luc's hand rested on his shoulder.

"Buy your wife something nice, young man," Luc smiled, "And thank you for speaking up. I always value people with courage like you are."

Otis didn't want to take the cheque, but he had no choice. Master Luc's grip was enough to break his bones. He tried with all his might not to let out a whimper. Cold sweat soaked through the back of his shirt. All around, his clueless colleagues clapped and whooped at the sight.

Otis regretted it, but like many things in his life, he had no choice. His eyes caught the number on the cheque. It might not be big to many people—definitely chicken feed to Master Luc—but this was a month's worth of pay plus a little on top for him.

He could buy food for the kids. Maurine would not be so mad at him all the time.

Otis looked at the cheque again, then at Master Luc's perfect smile. He had no choice.

Leaning forward on the bar, Albert shook his head, "Look at the gowk... Just take the bloody cheque and save everybody time. God help me..." he groaned. "He is practically drooling."

Patrick cursed along while Finn continued chewing his toothpick.

Luc returned to his seat to sign and hand out more, and more cheques until the line slowly dissipated. He then put the dip pen down, staring blankly ahead.

"Chief Mitchell will want to have a word with you. Sooner rather than later..."

Luc turned his gaze up. Inspector Allen was watching him with his dull blue eyes. The man's sneezing fit had finally seemed to stop.

"...So be ready," Inspector Allen said. "You know how it is. Especially during this time. The election got everyone's drawers in a knot."

Luc nodded. The whole thing reeked of sabotage, but who was the culprit, and for what purpose? He could only guess.

"I appreciate your time," Luc held out his hand. "Let me offer you gentlemen a drink before you go."

"Ah, save it for next time." Inspector Allen waved as he led the group of policemen to the door.

"Next time..." Luc mused at the now-empty room before turning back to Patrick and Finn, "I need you two to sniff around a bit. Find out what Otis has been doing and who he's met. "

Luc stood up and dusted his clothes. It was no use. Mud and sawdust had embedded in every thread. Still, he continued dusting.

"Of course, Master Luc. Patrick will stay here for the night. I'll head to the One Eye Woman. That's where the workers frequent... I'll be back in a few hours." Finn nodded at Patrick, lifted his cap, and left through the backdoor.

"I'll do my round now," Patrick slapped his knees, "Make sure everything is where it's supposed to be. You should go home now, Master Luc, it's late."

Albert stretched his burly body and yawned as Patrick walked away. "I ken that gowk is suspicious, but damn, what balls of steel he had! He just doesn't seem like the type-"

"Has anyone ever seemed like 'the type'?" Luc chuckled. "People just are or they are not."

"You're right, Master. Still... Ooh, I'll break both o' his legs if we learn that he has anythin' to do with today's mishanter! Then his teeth. All of them! I shall enjoy it!"

"I trust that you shall, Albert."

"I'm starving... Damn," Albert stretched again while looking at his pocket watch. "Almost midnight..."

Suddenly, Albert jumped to his feet as if someone had set him on fire.

"The lassie! I forgot to leave her food. She hasn't eaten since the morning."

Luc watched his right-hand man scramble with his hat and whip. Normally, Luc would shrug. Normally, losing track of time wasn't a cause to be concerned at all.

But that human was unwell. She wouldn't die over a few hours without food, would she?

Luc turned to Albert with the most perfectly calm expression, "Let's go home then."

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