Just Business

It was during the night Ellipsis heard someone in the basement, after slipping on her slippers she walked down stairs to the basement, she ducked to avoid the chimes she slowly walked in front of her armor to see it... the butchers head. Ellipsis just stared at it as Ki'oli descended out of the ceiling behind her.

"Good evening, my lady."

This scared Ellipsis and she gasped, spinning around on her heels she looks at Ki'oli cleaning one of the swords. He walks over to her but she kept an eye on that sword, she then looks at him.

"I hope you don't mind. I would've used the butchers knife but the sword seem so appropriate." Ki'oli runs a cloth up the blade, the sharpness echos when he pulled the cloth off. "Not a nick in the blade, I promise you. The butcher was like butter."

Ki'oli sheaths the sword and puts it back on its rack, Ellipsis looks at him when he stood back up. She looked at him then the head, she looked back at him and Ki'oli was smiling at her.

"You didn't need to do this for me."

"Rudeness is an epidemic, my lady."

"Many people do that to me, but killing them... that's out of the question. Did you leave any traces?"

"No."

"The Elite Guard would call this murder, you know."

"Worse, a crime of passion."

Ellipsis hugs Ki'oli and whispers to him.

"Don't kill again, not till you are good at stealth."

Ki'oli nods his head and left Ellipsis go upstairs, he soon retires to his room as well feeling very pleased at Ellipsis' praise.

Morning came, Ellipsis was going to teach Ki'oli the basic's of being a shop owner and how to do special orders. Ki'oli looked at the clothes gave him to wear, his new pants were different from the ones he seen others wear, the fabric was really soft and smooth. His new shirt had a picture of an animal on it but he wasn't sure what it was.

"Okay, Ki'oli this is a cash register. I don't like using our own since it's a bit complicated so I brought one from Earth that has clearer labeling of what to press! Anyway, after haggling the price and items, they will give you gold coins. You put the coins in here by pressing this button." Ellipsis presses a button and it opens startling Ki'oli. "Neat ain't it? Now you're going to try and barter with me."

Ellipsis grabs an item off one of the many shelves and walks over to the counter. Ki'oli looks at the item and then Ellipsis.

"Is that all miss?"

"Good, manners are another good way to make people buy more. Ahem, yes it is, oh, may I also have one of those ice cream bars that you have for free tasting?"

Ki'oli grins and nods his head.

"Yes. We have a variety of flavors. Strawberry, fudge, coconut, vanilla, cherry, to name a few. The list of flavors are on the board above my head, tell me which flavor you would like to taste."

"Now Ki'oli, what do you say if you don't have anymore of that one flavor?"

"Sorry miss, we're out of that flavor."

"Very good!"

Ellipsis puts the item away as the door opens, three tall Elite Guard came in followed by one Yautja dressed in fine armor that had a strange light shining off it, it rippled in waves as he moved, some kind of energy. The clips on his dread locks were made of pure gold. Ellipsis looks at them and is a bit confused.

"May I help you?"

The fine armored Elite shows Ellipsis his identification.

"Inspector Pol-ie?" Ellipsis asked trying to pronounce his name.

"Polie, madame."

"Polie."

Polie looks at Ki'oli walking over.

"Ki'oli Nit'ser?"

"Good evening"

The Elite Guard took hold of their weapons.

"You fought with the butcher, Mutki H'osl, in the market. Now he's dead. You'll have to come with me for questioning."

Ki'oli looks at Ellipsis very concern like, the Elite Guard take hold of Ki'oli and lead him outside.

"You may come Ellipsis, he might need the company after we're done with him."

"He'll be fine but you better go easy on him or I'll have you as target practice."

"The rumors are true about you then. You have a male personality in you."

"A tom boy."

"A what?"

"A female that acts like a male is called a tom boy. You need to learn facts."

Polie walks outside and gets in the hover van and went back to the city, there Ki'oli is taken into the Hall of Justice to take a truth test. The reflecting mirrors made Ki'oli wonder, one male Yautja came into the room and set up sensors fixed on Ki'oli, reading his vitals and movements. The Yautja is smaller than other Yautja and very skinny. Ki'oli sat up straight as the Yautja asks him questions.

"Is your name Ki'oli Nit'ser?"

"Yes."

The skinny Yautja looks at the readings and writes down the readings.

"Do you have any guilt knowledge of the death of Mutki H'osl?"

"Guilty knowledge?"

The skinny Yautja throws a sour look at him.

"Limit your answers to yes or no."

Ki'oli smiles. "No."

"Are you living with the one that helped you at birth?"

"Yes."

After a few more questions, Inspector Polie looks over the readings while the skinny Yautja takes a long drag on his Yautja cigarette. Inspector Polie can't believe the readings, he checks them over and over, he looks at the skinny Yautja.

"It's like millan. He reacts to nothing." Inspector Polie looks at Ki'oil sitting in the next room. "It's monstrous."

Inspector Polie and the skinny Yaujta look at Ki'oli, he sensed their eyes and looks back at them, Inspector Polie walks into the room and takes Ki'oli into his office, there he looks at the readings again and tells Ki'oli a few facts.

"Mutki had been fishing, blood and scales were on his gauntlets, but alas no fish."

"The readings tell you all that? Remarkable."

Polie puts the readings down and looks at Ki'oli with 'your guilty' eyes.

"No. Huli, the Great Elder's son, told me that you brought home a wonderful fish for dinner. Where did you get that fish?"

"By fishing, Inspector. Ellipsis has taught me many things, fishing, running a shop. She showed me the baited line in the water behind the boathouse. I'll show you if you like?"

"My speciality is crimes against the Council. Crimes don't end when the High Elder dies, many crimes are committed to get a new one in place." Polie walked to the front of his desk and sits on the edge looking down at Ki'oli. "I know you lost your family when the Bad Blood attacked the lab. So did I." Ki'oli looks up at him. "And for you, your beautiful seller came and made up for it all. The very scent of her must have taken away the smell of the labs. And when Mutki spewed filth at her, I understand if you killed him. Tell me what happened, Ki'oli." Polie smiles a little bit. "Together we could show the council there was - -"

"The very scent of her takes away the smell of the labs." Ki'oli said looking at the floor, he then looks up at Polie and smiles. "Do you compose verse, Inspector? And keep it under your trophies?"

Polie gives Ki'oli a sour face and walks back behind his desk. Outside in the now darken streets, a hover bike is driven with fury to the Hall of Justice. The rider shuts off the lights and coasts to the fountain in front of the Hall. The rider reached into a bag on the side of the bike and pulled something out.

Back inside, Ki'oli begins to play games with Polie's mind and emotions, he leans forward.

"Now, tell me, Inspector, did you choose Council Crimes, because you lost family by Bad Bloods?"

Polie looks up at him.

"Yes."

Polie continues to do his paper work, Ki'oli continues asking questions.

"How?"

Polie throws a small fit but doesn't let it show other than his voice.

"Some in combat, some were shipped to their hideouts."

"Did you catch who did it?"

"No."

"But they were Vinical, men like the butcher?"

"Yes." Polie snapped.

Ki'oli grins and leans back in his seat.

"Then we are both suspects. I can say you were fishing with me, if you like." Ki'oli said with an evil grin.

Polie laughs silently, his body bounced with his internal laugh, he soon returns to his paperwork but a knock at the door interrupted him. A male Yautja pokes his head making Ki'oli and Polie to look at him.

"Inspector, you should see this."

Polie and Ki'oli follow the Yautja outside, a crowd had already gathered around the fountain, mostly old ones with their grands kids or great grand kid and some Elite Guards. They were all looking at the head on one of the stakes around the fountain. The Yautja leading Polie and Ki'oli spoke to one of the Guards.

"I told you to keep them away."

When Polie got close enough he tilted his head and looked at the head on the stake. He got closer and looked at it more, he then looks at the Yautja that lead him out here. Ki'oli walked over and stood next to Polie.

"Is this the butcher?" Polie asked the Yautja.

"Yes, sir."

Ki'oli couldn't believe that his trophy was out here.

"How long?"

"Ten minutes, no longer than that."

Polie looks at Ki'oli making Ki'oli look at him then the head, on the head was the Bad Blood sign carved into the flesh. Back home, the hover bike is shut down in the garage, the rider dismounts and walks inside, she removed her goggles and scarf around her neck. Ellipsis sighs as Kelly looked up at her.

"I hope this is the last time I bail him out."

Kelly yawns and runs out of the mudroom. Ellipsis hangs her leather coat and scarf, she placed the goggles back in their box and she removed her boots.

"Ki'oli, what am I going to do with you?"