Chapter 15: A Con Debt

Year: Mid 846 – Chlorba District

The outskirts of the Chlorba District were all too familiar to Peter and Kristell. It was the place they called home, and it was home to those most dear to them, mostly, if said about Kristell. There was one person she dreaded to see, even despised. It was her own step father.

As said, Kristell's father died when she was younger, and even though they were very set financially, a suspicious man became a part of her life a few years back when she joined the military. His name was Clyde Bournes. Even though he seemed friendly and serene on the outside whenever he met with Kristell's mother, Kristell couldn't help but feel that he wanted something from her family. Those suspicions became even more evident when he proposed to her mother on such a quick basis.

Ever since then, Kristell tried her best to discreetly spy on this man whom she called step-father. He was too nice, as if he were trying to win over her family's love and naivety. Unfortunately, she hadn't been able to learn a single thing, possibly because of her inefficiency as a critical thinker. But with Liette and the rest of the squad with her, it could be possible for her to find out something.

"Kristell?" Peter asked noticing that his best friend was unusually quiet today. Even her bird noticed as Hooter tried chirping a few times to get Kristell's attention.

The girl in mind blinked a few times before replying to Peter with a subtle, "What?"

"Is there something wrong?" He asked, the hooves of their horses trotting lowly on the dirt road, "If you're tired, you cold go rest back at the HQ, Irene could watch over you." Since the District was a relatively short distance away from Florisa, it made it possible to commute to and fro in a timely manner.

She shook her head in reply, "No I'm fine. If I feel tired, I'm sure I can stay with mother" She left out father for a reason.

"Ah, that's right. We're home, I completely forgot" Peter replied, smacking the palm of his fist against his forehead. For him to be honest, Peter wasn't looking forward to seeing family again, but for more personality related reason.

Peter's family was very traditional, imposing responsibility as head of the family on the oldest male in the household along with inheriting the family business, which for Peter, was mercantile. But not just any mercantile, a very verbal and client patron based mercantile. His father was planning on making him undertake a few of these tasks as practice for when his time comes. Speech and persuasion was something he was despicably bad at, and it drove him sick at the thought of coordinating with clients.

Still, sometimes, he wished that he had never joined the military and done this instead. But what's done was done, he couldn't change much now.

With them, Liette, Rivaille, Urdin and Zackley, all knew that Peter and Kristell were former residents of the district, but cautioned against any interaction with their families lest the Crime Lord of the Chlorba District was sinister. Even though the past two were not, it wasn't guaranteed that this one would be the same.

Though they still needed to search for this districts Lord, they underwent a different procedure this time. A few days earlier, Irene took the liberty of conducting her own information gathering to save the rest of the squad some potential trouble.

Since the Chlorba wasn't very well known for anything in particular, she simple asked around for the most powerful person in the district. It seemed like an extremely vague question, but it was the first step to narrowing down the potential person of interest. With a great stroke of luck, the identity of their potential Lord was that of the only son of the Noble House of Debourke. This House, along with a few others, holds ties with the King and maintains mutual benefits from him.

Morgant Debourke was his name. He was naught but a young child. Cocky, rude, spoiled and snobby was what everyone described him to be. His father died to reasons undisclosed to the public, and his mother has been ill for quite some time, unable to conduct any of her duties as the head of the household. As a result, he was given temporary leadership of the House. Ever since then, he had been abusing his power, imposing large taxes on his lands, and even higher loan rates. Many people hate him, but are unable to rise up against him due to the sheer power of his family name.

Since riding horses proved difficult in the District, they set off on foot exploring. From this point, Peter and Kristell branched off to visit their families, heavily cautioned by Rivaille to watch out for any suspicious personnel.

This left Liette, Rivaille, Zackley and Urdin whom were unfamiliar with Chlorba, with out a guide.

"Well, this just makes my day does it" Rivaille mused, scrunching is nose to the strange odors of the district.

"Don't be so down about it Rivaille" Urdin reassured gaudily, much to the Lance Corporals annoyance.

It seemed to Liette that everyone was getting along quite fine, especially at everyone's poking fun at Rivaille's cleaning habit, "You'll get used to the stench in a few days-" As she was walking, a man bumped into her.

"I'm terribly sorry miss" He apologetically said, before continuing on his way.

It didn't seem too bothersome to Liette at first, but within a manner of seconds, she realized that the tin container she held her cigarettes and matches in was missing. It was very easy for Liette to notice when she felt lighter because of how much the military emphasized staying light. The 3DMG was an extremely lightweight piece of equipment, and even an ounce increase in weight would be noticeable to an experienced soldier.

Hence, by the time she noticed, the man that just passed them started sprinting away.

"Perfect" Liette mumbled to herself as she darted towards him. Liette figured this man a fool for pickpocketing a soldier, especially one as agile as she was. Perhaps he was not expecting a Scouting Legion soldier to be roaming around the streets of such a low garrisoned district.

Indeed it was true. Most of the other districts have had a significant amount of soldiers relocated to the Trost District in anticipation of it's breaching.

After a small warm up of a very short sprint, Liette's acrobatic roots kicked in once more as she jumped onto a barrel, and used it to gain some height to grab onto a lamp support beam. From there, she pulled herself up, climbing onto the roof of the buildings, which stood about twelve meters high, and continued from then while still keeping her gaze onto the thief.

Amidst her pursuit, Liette noticed a growing problem in her plan to try to pounce on top of her perpetrator: He was sifting through crowds of people. This made it very difficult to land on top of him without producing collateral damage to the civilians around. That would cause plenty of disarray, and possibly give her a bad reputation around the district, something that should be avoided in most cases.

Quickly she devised multiple plans to accommodate the situation that was to come within the few seconds. There was a turn in the street coming up, and there were two possible scenarios. If he turned left where Liette was currently scaling roofs, she would more than likely get the surprise on him. This was evident because he kept looking behind himself, not knowing that Liette was perched above.

The next scenario was if he took a right. If that were the case, then Liette would have to somehow make her way atop the buildings on the other side of the street, and she was not sure on how to do that without slowing herself down. The pace that this thief was going at was unusually fast for the average person, and it seemed that he knew what he was doing since he had enough guts to steal from a soldier, which could end in a very severe punishment.

Reaching the intersection, the thief abruptly stopped, looking left and right, unsure of which direction to go. In a hasty decision, he turned right.

Liette clicked her tongue in slight annoyance, knowing that she now has to improvise to try to make up for lost distance. She stopped at the intersection, hastily thinking about what to do next, Liette noticed a stack of hay directly below her that she could use to fall into. It wasn't going to be the most comfortable, but it certainly would hurt much less if she landed on the ground, even with a proper landing.

Stepping forward, she let herself fall down bottom first, expecting a smooth landing. She did, at first. But a split second later, she felt an extremely solid force hit the back of her head as she was submerged into the hay stack. She didn't know what it was, but it felt hard enough to break through stone. This was immediately followed by a ringing noise in her ears and a jolt to her vision. The back of her head pulsed with pain as she quickly got up, cursing to herself. Ignoring her injury for the moment, she pulled herself out and continued forth.

She kept on going, with her target still in sight, but something was very wrong.

"It's not clearing..." She murmured to herself. As much as the hit on her head hurt, her eyesight wasn't clearing at all. It worried Liette, which caused her to dart faster and faster while trying to avoid hitting things in her disabled state. Thankfully, the street now was less populated, and Liette had no problem catching up to her thief with a strong tackle to the ground.

Again, she was still worried, as the pain in her head and eyesight still have not cleared up.

"Alright wise guy!" She said in a slightly strained voice, taking a hold of his collar and dragging him against the wall, "Give... me back... my... case..." Liette's head began to throb with even more pain than before, and breathing paced faster with her lungs not being able to catch up.

"H-hey.. what's wrong?" The thief asked, strangely not taking advantage of Liette's disarray.

"I said..." She began to say, but couldn't finish because suddenly, Liette's stomach turned, and she leaned forward to vomit. A few seconds following, Liette lost consciousness, falling backwards onto the ground.

"Hey! Hey!" The thief said getting down next to Liette, "Hey! Wake up! If you really wanted it back, you should have just said so instead of playing dead like that!"

As he was shaking Liette to try to wake her up, much to his panic, he heard someone yell from down the street.

"Oi!" From his view, four soldiers ran their way towards the corner, "Hey asshole!" It was Rivaille who came darting towards the thief.

"T-thank god you're here!" He said, not knowing how much irony was in his statement. But he was soon cut off by Rivaille kicking him in the face. He was sent flying backwards as Rivaille quickly grabbed a hold of his collar.

"I don't know what you did, but if you think you were going to incapacitate my colleague here, you're sadly mistaken" He said with an angry tone as he raised a fist up.

"Whoa whoa there bud! I didn't do anything to her!" The thief said, pleading his innocence, "She tackled me down and demanded this back. And then she vomited and fainted, just like that!"

"Rivaille! There's she bleeding from the back of her head!" Urdin called out.

ooo

"When news of the breach of the Shiganshina District came, I was worried sick. But I'm so heartening so see my little girl here" It was Kristell's mother, pondering over her daughters recent visit, and was pouring both of them a cup of tea while accompanied by her husband, Clyde Bournes. "Honestly Kristell, I don't know what had gotten into you, suddenly deciding to join the military like that."

"Now now dear, the girl clearly wanted to serve humanity by fighting those wicked titans. And in dying, does she know that others will live in peace" Kristell's stepfather said, grinning with that wicked smile of his, much to his wife's ignorance.

Clyde Bournes, a shady and secretive man stood there. His face was clean, and his hair was neatly combed back and stiffened in place by some hair solute. His eyes, emerald in shining, hid his unknown, but sinister motives.

"Clyde, don't talk like that!" Kristell's mother replied, "She's a fine soldier. I trust in my daughter."

"I'm just saying for the betterment of mankind" He said, shrugging as he took his leave, but not before looking back, grinning wildly at Kristell. He knew why she was back in the district, and it was unclear whether or not he was prepared, or frightened. Rather, it was a grin of masking his true feelings, to intimidate her, to give the impression that he was confident.

As her step father disappeared into a different room, Kristell leaned forward, slightly whispering to her mother, "Mother, are you sure that Cly- err... Stepfather isn't up to something?"

"Oh come now dear, you're always so suspicious of him. Did your training make you even more paranoid?"

Kristell was quite frustrated with her mothers adamant stance, but she sighed, letting it go. "I'm just watching out for you mother. That's all"

"Well..." Her mother said, planting a hand on Kristell's shoulder, "Dearest, all I'm asking you is to trust my decisions more. If I believe that this man is my love, then will you leave it at that?"

She was lost at words, tired of all the rejection of her aid to defend her family from potential danger. It was a role she picked up the day her father died, and one that she held dear to her heart, even if she wasn't living there anymore. She was close to giving up, letting her mother endure whatever trouble or scandals that Clyde was going to invoke, but she couldn't. It was her obligation to her father to defend her family.

Kristell shook her head at her mother, "I'm sorry" She murmured, as she turned away and departed from her mother. She knew it hurt her mother more to not trust her. She wasn't going to stop trying to get to the matter of this family crisis, but she was going to do it her own way.

ooo

It was by chance that Peter stumbled upon a moping Kristell. As mutual best friends, he comforted her to the best of his ability, despite blushing at the fact that they had never been so close together before.

He had never seen her so distraught, not since the fall of the Wall Maria.

"What happened Kristell?" Peter wondered to himself, considering the possibilities as to what distressed his friend so much. He knew there was tension building up between her and her mother concerning their suspicious step father, but he wasn't expecting it to escalate to the point where she was in tears.

Even though she was still saddened by the frustrations of her own decisions, Kristell tried not to be selfish and asked Peter how his reunion went.

Peter was a little bit reluctant at first, going out by saying, "It's nothing special, my family was glad to see me safe and sound."

Kristell was a little bit doubtful, punching him in the shoulder, "No seriously, tell me. I know you're hiding something!"

"Okay okay!" Peter replied, rubbing his punched shoulder. It took him a while, but it was quite exciting news for him, "Well... um... I just learned today that... I have a younger sister"

ooo

Everything was a daze, and Liette didn't know what happened. She slowly opened her eyes not knowing where in the world she was. Her head was pounding with pain, but not as much as before. "Ack..." she murmured, getting herself up to a sitting position. It was like waking up in the morning after a night of full drinking.

"Looks like you're awake" Rivaille's voice said as Liette turn to glare at her right. Oddly enough, they were in a rather large room. It looked like a single occupancy room, outfitted with a table, a few chairs, a stove, bunk beds, and a few other basics. To her surprise, Urdin, Zackley, and even her thief were in the room also.

Rivaille, Urdin and Zackley were playing a game of cards, while the person who stole her case was heating a kettle.

"Err..." Liette furrowed an eyebrow in slight confusion as she gentle rubbed the back of her pounding head. Bandages were wrapped rather securely around her forehead. "What happened while I was out?"

Rivaille looked at his hand of cards with his dull eyes and glared back up at Liette before dropping them down on the table. "You bumped your head, and knocked out."

"Ack what?" Urdin and Zackley replied with surprise, scratching their heads to Rivaille's winning hand.

"These guys told me they weren't familiar with the district" The thief began to say as he handed her a mug, "You were bleeding quite a bit, and the only clinic was across the district. Luckily, one of my friends is a doctor"

"Uh... thank you..." Liette replied, quite confused at the scenario that was playing at the moment.

"Oh, I'm sorry Liette. My name is Gus, Gus Schneider" Despite not acting like it, Gus sounded very good natured. His voice gave the impression that he was always concerned. He was a slimmer figure, and had a sharp beard growing under his chin, connecting to his side burns. His pony tail was tied up very loosely, and his hair hung free. He wore dark clothing, traditional of that of a thief, and gray cloak similar in style to that of the Scouting Legions.

Still confused, Liette nodded at his introduction, but had to inquire, "Err... Rivaille? What else happened?"

Rivaille dropped his hand again in another victory, much to Urdin and Zackley's amazement, "Well, since Gus was kind enough to get you treated and give you your cigarettes back, I spared him a beating."

"What can I say? A lot of people call me the nice guy" Gus replied in embarrassment.

"That wasn't a compliment." Rivaille bluntly stated as he continued, "But you're not in the clear yet. Reports say you're an quite an infamous thief. I've got complaints from many angry rich people about a petty thief stealing their goods."

"W-wait wait! I can explain myself!" Gus replied in his defense.

"I doubt I'll accept it, but I'll listen anyway." The Lance Corporal said.

"The people in the district have been suffering for a long time. I've been in their shoes." He began to say while leaning against one of the counter tops, "I'm sure you guys can tell, but I don't live too much like a rich man." It was indeed true. This room was plastered with nothing of value. "That's because all the goods I steal I give to people who need it."

"So you steal from the rich and give to the poor." Zackley said, gliding his fingers over the rims of his glasses.

"Hehe, sounds just like a story my mother used to tell me when I was a child." Urdin remarked, momentarily taking the toothpick out of his mouth to drink.

"Yes, yes I do." Gus nodded his head. "But there's just been such an increasing amount of poverty spreading around. I can't keep up the pace anymore. That dastard boy Debourke. People living in his territory are hurting the most."

"Good natured or not, a thief is a thief and should be punished just as so" Rivaille said, still unconvinced by his defense. "I guess I'll snatch a mouse while he's dangling in front of my face" He implied about taking custody of Gus while it was still possible.

"W-wait please!"

"Hold Rivaille" Liette said, asking as his squad leader to let off a bit, "You said something about Debourke, by Debourke, do you mean Morgant Debourke?"

"Who else would I refer to? He's infamously known throughout the district." Gus began to rant a bit, "Sure he's a friend of the king, but he's an enemy to the common-folk like us."

Liette began to think, "Can you take us to him?"

"I figure I could, but what's in it for me?" Like Rivaille said before, a thief was a thief, and they always want retribution for their efforts.

It was obvious to Liette of what he was going to want, and she sighed before patting the dull pain radiating from the back of her head. "I suppose we could negotiate." She said, much to Rivaille's distaste. He kept quiet for the moment though, obeying the intentions of his superior.

ooo

As part of the terms of their negotiation, Gus was obligated to assist Liette and her squad in terms regarding Morgant Debourke in exchange for clearing his arrest and charges of theft and burglary. Even though he slightly had objections towards the offer, it was his only choice. Little did he know that he was going to be involved in something much more large than a simple delivery job.

Since Gus was rather wanted, he tried to keep a low profile, but slightly loosened up since he had soldiers following his steed.

"The young lordling has become so powerful that he's got Stationary Guard patrolling around his area. Apparently, he's got permission from the king to commission the officers under his service" Gus began to say as he cautiously glared at a couple of slacking officers who were paying slight attention to Liette's Squad, quickly ready to spread rumors of Scouting Legion soldiers in their district.

"Peculiar..." Rivaille noted, rubbing the smooth surface of his chin, "Has he been doing this for a long time?"

"No, only recently, within that past few months or so. Possibly in response to the fall of the Wall Maria and the influx of refugees potentially causing trouble around his land" Gus replied. The Debourke Estate was located on the inside of the Wall Rose, in the central district of the outside city bordering the wall. He pointed to a very lavish castle down the street, tere was a moat surrounding it, and a large sturdy stone bridge connecting the two plots of land. It was mostly empty save for a few Stationary Guard out duty, but it clearly looked like they were slacking off, not caring about who crossed the bridge.

Even though the Stationary Guard received a very shocking wake up call since the fall of the Wall Maria, not all districts were as strict on improving defenses and quality of the Guard.

Rivaille was very ticked off at the lack of discipline, but was only held back by Urdin and Zackley, opting to not cause a fuss, especially within "enemy" territory.

Despite being soldiers and blending in, the slacking guards still asked what their business was with Morgant Debourke.

"Oi! Whadaya guys need with the kid?" It was obvious that one of the guards was drunk, and Rivaille was holding back the urge to punch him in the face.

"We're doing some business for Commander Irvin" Liette responded casually, knowing how these slacker guards think as she used to be one herself back in the Military Police.

"Commander Irbin ehh...?" He asked in his drunken tone, scratching the side of his head, "Well, it's deh Scouting Legiun.. So I'm guessin it's important. Bah who cares. Go on yer merry way, and don't forget to get another bottle of booze on your way out. We're kind of runnin out..."

Liette chuckled, slightly amused at his drunkenness, but also slightly scornful at them, the same as Rivaille. The lack of discipline was what sped up the fall of the Wall Maria, and the cost of many lives. She didn't want that to happen again, ever.

However, her moment of self drabble skid to a halt as they continued through the large doors of the castle of the House of Debourke.

The interior of the castle was, as expected, lavish. In fact, it was on the level of the Thames Verdalt's mansion down south towards the Trost District. The only key differences of this was that many of these things were gifts from the king and his associates, establishing a lasting loyalty to keep his support ongoing.

In truth, the King was not a terrible man in the slightest, in fact, he was the only one among many who supported the Scouting Legion. Most others wondered why he did this, others tried to persuade him out of it, especially the corrupt politicians seeking to increase their gain. But of course, the King was the most powerful man known in mankind. That is, unless the growing threat of the Paramount Crime Lord is not stopped.

Passage to the main throne room was quite straightforward, as the hall way leading there was quite large. It seemed that there were quite a few people that wanted to see the young lordling, as, there was a line forming from the doors to the throne. They were open, able to hear a very obnoxious and loud voice echo through the hollow walls.

"So, Mister Bournes. You come to my court today, still holding a massive debt, and request me to give you an extension?" That was the voice of a young boy, in fact. He was sitting on a throne high enough for Liette to see through the opening in the door. His blonde hair was neatly trimmed in a straight line all around his head, in a sort of bowl cut that was longer.

He wore a silk knitted cap that expressed his youth, but also wore garments that were fashioned for that of a prince. And when he spoke, he spoke with such an accent that only belonged to people of noble origins. Stories have said that these people used to inhabit a large mass of land that was surrounded by water towards the West. The Britons it was called.

Amidst Liette's silent examination of the next Crime Lord, she caught sight of Kristell and Peter who were seemingly leaning against the walls next to the doors. They were standing in such a fashion that gave them the impression that they were guards, and when they caught sight of Liette watching them, they slightly panicked.

"What are those two brats up to?" Rivaille asked as he glanced at the two cadets, and occasionally at Gus to keep him in check.

Clearing up Rivaille's questioning, Liette pointed a finger at Peter and gestured for them to come to her. With slightly reluctant looks on there faces, they obeyed their squad leader and answered her inquiries.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

But before they could respond, the loud voice of Morgant Debourke spoke up. "You there! Stationary Guard!" It was clear that he was pointing to them, "Yes you! Please come here"

Doing as told, Liette and her group proceeded forth through the dividing crowd into the throne room of the Debourke Estate.

The lordlings eyes lit up, with an excited grin creeping on his face, "Silver hair, more beautiful than any flower in the fields, or silk made from the finest craftsman. A natural beauty indeed"

Though he was but a child, Liette was quite flattered, bowing slightly, "I believe your flattery is the last thing you wanted to speak to me about"

Morgant grinned toothily, "You are smarter than you look" He said before clapping, "I'm done for the day! Please, all of you, begone! Guards, see to them their way out"

There were boos and complaints ringing from the crowd of people that formed in front of his throne room, but they reluctantly left as the guards began to be more stringent.

The doors to his room closed, and only Liette, her squad, and a man by the last name of Bournes remained. "You! Wait outside these doors, and don't even think of running away. My guards will keep you company" Morgant forcefully said.

"Yes sire" Clyde sullenly obeyed before glancing very suspiciously at Kristell.

"Liette Herman, I've been expecting you for quite sometime now" Morgant spoke up, standing up from his throne, as short as his stature could be. "Something happen on the way here?" He asked tapping his noggin.

"I bumped my head a while back" Liette replied, glancing at Gus.

"Ah yes, I suppose you Scouting Legion are quite the diligent and hardworking" Debourke murmured, not really caring in the slightest, "And I'm quite sure that you know why you are here, do you?"

Liette nodded, not needing and introductions to why she was here.

"Perfect! Then I see to it that you shall fulfill my request as duly instructed." The child clapped his hands once more, "Let the man back in! Now, this mans name is Clyde Bournes, and he owes me a debt of fifty thousand pieces. Since I am in need of some money for other investments, I have demanded the money from him now, but he claims to not have it." He was pacing about with his hands behind his back, glancing at them with cocky eyes and smiles, it was as if he was having quite a lot of fun playing lord. "I could have him labor until he pays off the money, but it would make my mother sad if I did. But, I also do want my money. So here is my task for you. By the end of this month, I want you to cover this mans debt in full. Do it in anyway you see fit, as long as I get my money back."

Liette and company were quite speechless at the nobles task. A years worth of wages for the middle class person was less than fifty thousand pieces a year. Even the wages that the soldiers make were less than that yearly.

"Any questions?" Morgant Debourke asked with the ever mischievous snicker on his face.

"What if we do not complete the task as you asked?" Kristell suddenly spoke up.

He rubbed his chin, curving an eyebrow up in a silent thought, "Then he will have to work for it. Hard labor doesn't do itself. And if he even thinks about leaving, I've got Stationary Guard on the look out for him."

Many of the squad found it strange that Kristell would ask a question like that concerning someone they obviously don't know, or at least they thought.

Little did they know that Kristell was deeply in conflict. She glanced at Clyde who was staring at her with slightly furious eyes. He now knew how she was going about trying to foil his unknown plans. He had no idea what they were talking about when Morgant mentioned task, but he used it to his advantage as he knew that it was something important.

"I-I humbly thank you for this opportunity at redemption sire" Clyde pretended to be extremely grateful as he showed his appreciation by thanking Liette. "Please! I am more than willing to help with the repayment of my debt!"

To the eyes of Liette and the others, excluding Peter, he was a man in desperate need for help. But to Kristell and Peter, they both knew it was not what it seemed, and Kristell so desperately wanted to tell Liette and the others about the adverse effects of aiding this wicked man, but she soon realized that it would jeopardize the progress of Liette to discovering the origins of herself.

Thus, Kristell was caught in between the desire to protect her family and the homage that she owed to Liette for saving her life back in Shiganshina. It was heart wrenching, but she kept quiet, hoping to discuss with Liette her ordeals.

Though she was slightly gruff and too outgoing on the outside, Kristell noticed that Liette had an extremely tender side, a very sincere side. Her motives were free from hidden desires, except for the desire to find out her past. Slow to anger, and quick to understanding, Liette was one that Kristell felt she could spill all her problems into without judgment and scorn.

Upon their return to the HQ, Liette was quite unsure of how to go about paying this large sum of money by the end of the month. They decided that they should discuss it at the table to suggest any ideas.

"That kids asking for a whole lot, I'll tell you that much" Urdin said grumbling to himself.

"Perhaps, but it's the only way we'll proceed onward with this operation." Rivaille replied, leaning back in his chair, keeping a close eye on Gus. "So? What do you think crook?"

Gus was still quite pissed at the fact that there was a loophole in their agreement. It was clearly stated that he would assist them in all matters regarding Morgant Debourke. When he agreed, he wasn't expecting something like this, not in the slightest. He thought it was a simple task of showing them to the nobles estate. It helped a little bit for Liette to explain the predicament that she and her squad were in at the moment, but it still left him bitter in the end.

But, through letting out a exasperated sigh, Gus voiced his thoughts, "Well, I don't even gain a fraction of that on my rounds. So you guys are hitting some rough terrain"

"That's true" Nelson agreed, "I only make that much in a couple years time"

"Yes, but what he's requesting is quite unreasonable. Fifty thousand pieces is a very big feat to accomplish in three weeks, my math says so" Zackley added.

"Oh screw your math! Do you realize how much we would have to work to get all that money in the first place?" Elsa's loud mouth blabbered as she promptly stood up, pointing her finger at Zackley.

Irene planted a hand on her sisters shoulder to tell her to calm down, "It is a large sum. But, what if you didn't have to work for all of it?"

Most of them were quite puzzled as Liette asked, "What do you mean by that Irene?"

"I'm saying that what if someone supplied a significant portion of the money out of pocket?"

Liette thought about it for a moment, but immediately objected, "No! Irene, I can't ask you to do that!" She realized that Irene was implying that she pay for a portion of the debt they were supposed to cover.

"I insist" Irene said, "Remember I said that I would support your efforts against the Paramount. If anything hinders your road to him, I am there to help"

'Yea! Irene is here to help everyone!" Elsa enthusiastically proclaimed in support for her older sister, as childlike as she was in personality, and as supportive as she was as a sibling.

Rivaille's eyes were glued on Irene, quite unsurprised at her move to propel the squad forward. But he knew there was something more that Irene wanted, something that she could not afford to waste time on, and he silently wondered to himself what it was.

As decided, Irene proposed that she provide for three fifths of the total debt of the Clyde Bournes. The other two fifths was to be covered by the efforts of the entire squad, including Gus, which, much to his discomfort, was considered part of as of today.

But there was a building urge to speak up at that moment, and spoken words of Kristell sounded as she slammed her hands on the table, "Liette! I must speak with you in private" She looked miserable, and stressed beyond a doubt.

Peter and the rest were surprised at how forward Kristell was being at the moment, and when Liette understood what Kristell was asking, she promptly heeded by walking out.

"What the hell was that for?" Urdin asked, jabbing his toothpick into a small split in the table. "The girls never been that upfront before"

"I believe she might know something that we don't" Irene murmured, as she leaned backwards, quietly waiting.

"Like what?" Rivaille asked, "We've already found out who our target is, and what he wants from us. What could she possibly know that we don't?"

"Tell you the truth, she did look at that Clyde guy numerous times when we met with Morgant" Nelson noted to everyone.

"Yea, I noticed that too" Gus unexpectedly butt in, "I've seen that Clyde Bournes guy around before, but I dunno his relationship to her. But to be honest, he does look like the kind of man who has dirt on him"

"Dirt? By dirt, you mean something suspicious no?" Zackley very ignorantly asked, somewhat killing the meaning behind Gus's analogy.

"Yes Zackley" Urdin sarcastically replied, tapping the young soldier on the head, "How about you use that head of yours to think a little bit less literally?"

"Well if we don't know what connection she has with the man, how about we ask someone who knows?" Rivaille spoke up, clearly glancing at a nervous Peter. This was what he was scared of, other people noticing his relationship with Kristell. "Now tell us Cadet, what do you know?"

ooo

"Kristell, what's wrong? I've never seen you like this before" Liette asked, in mutual concern for the young girl. It was clear that she was in great confusion, as she looked on the brink of crying.

Kristell took a moment to release her frustrated emotions and ease her nauseous stomach. She spoke in a low tone, "Clyde Bournes is my stepfather. He's not trustworthy. I know he's planning on hurting my mother and my family, and it has a connection with the money he borrowed." Kristell began to explain as she broke down, "I just don't know what to think!"

In showing her compassion, Liette comforted her, lending her ears to speak to.

"He still ha-has the money he borrowed. I just know it. I-if you clear it, I know he will make off with it." Kristell spoke again, wiping the tears forming in her eyes, "But if you don't, he'll be sentenced to labor."

"'Kristell..." Liette said with a lowered tone, "Do you hate him?"

"With all the flames of hell" This was possibly the first time Liette had heard Kristell speak with such anger.

"And you want to see him out of your life?"

Kristell glanced up at Liette, "Yes... but if it does happen, you won't be able to continue..."

Liette understood Kristell's disposition. From what Kristell was trying to say, if they did pull through with clearing her stepfathers debt, then he would be fifty thousand pieces richer, and could consider the possibility of divorce with Kristell's mother. That would further result in him gaining an entitlement to Kristell's family wealth, and from there, he would make off. Liette knew this to be conning, it was unfortunate that Kristell's family would become victim to deception, but she was powerless to accuse Clyde Bournes without solid proof.

If they did not, he would be punished by Morgant Debourke and be forced to work off his repayment. As much to Kristell's satisfaction, it would be at a great cost of the halt in the Squad's progress. Though Liette would naturally want to continue onwards, she also wanted to consider the feelings of her squad mates. It made her guilty to achieve her goals whilst letting someone else take the fall.

"I-I understand that family should be the most important thing in life, but... but I owe you my life! So that's why... that's why..."

"Shh..." Liette hushed the trembling Kristell, much like Norma did for her when she was younger. Discarding everything that was swimming around in her mind for a moment, she spoke once more. "Kristell, I'll help you get the matter of this okay?"

"B-but what about the future of the squad? What if we can't move on?"

"We'll find a way"

A/N: This district was quite tricky for some reason. I kind of wanted to have some sort of conflict in Kristell's mind, but this was the best I could think of. I hope you guys like it though!

So we meet a new character by the name of Gus. I hope that I'm not introducing too many characters too fast because that's kind of how I like it. But I do try my best to incorporate everyone since this is a team effort after all.

I'm trying to write as fast as I can to catch up to the anime (Which we are still a really far way away!) So excuse me if my writing becomes a bit sloppy. I'm starting college in two weeks, so I won't have too much time to write, and I don't want my readers to be starving now!

Well, that's all for today. Please enjoy the chapter and don't forget to leave a review!