"Crown went after an illegal weapons smuggling ring? All by himself?"
"He did! There was a growing power struggle between some gangs in Duval, and Braht was apparently looking to make a profit from this by selling off weapons they managed to steal from a military compound. Crown heard about it and sent Braht a calling card through one of their affiliates saying he'd steal their freedom tomorrow night."
Dang, Crown either had guts or a lack of self-preservation to call out a well-known crime group armed with military-grade weapons. She respected the hustle—who knows what kind of chaos would've overtaken the streets if he'd waited for the law to finally catch up—but some battles weren't always good to pick. Though given this was a past event, maybe his reckless pick had a logic back those years ago.
"What was Braht's response? Did they change plans or did they brush him off?" Leia asked after jotting down some quick notes.
"Braht didn't take the warning seriously. They'd evaded the police till then, so why would a random thief be a threat? Unfortunately for them that'd be their final mistake." Ludger paused for suspense, getting more into retelling this story the longer he went on, "Nobody knows how Crown did it, but the police got an anonymous tip the next morning to search a warehouse in Duval. The police then found both the group members tied up and their weapons supply waiting to be confiscated. Suffice to say, this heist's when both I and many other people knew Crown was someone worth their attention."
What a feat to kick start your career on! Too bad all his fame was now working against him after the train crash… "I can see why you're a big fan—he sounds more like a super hero than a thief." Leia complimented Ludger's choice in personal heroes nonetheless. "So, what can you tell me about Crown's methods? Like… what kind of loadout does he typically use when he's out on a heist?"
If Ludger didn't look excited before, he was beginning to rival Leia's own intensity, "That's actually another cool thing about Crown: most of everything he uses on the job were tools he created for himself. There's his stun cane, his grappling hook gun, and also the rock sal—"
"Wait, did you say grappling hook gun?" Leia interjected. "Like the ones you'd read about in spy novels or see on TV dramas?"
"Yep! I've got a replica of it at home, so I can say first-hand it's a lot of fun to use. It's probably my favorite of Crown's tools, although the others are all close seconds."
Ludger had working replica tools at his house?! The guy certainly wasn't kidding when he called himself a long-time fan—he'd already walked the extra miles to emulate his idol. But as impressive as his dedication was, Leia's mind couldn't focus on the interview anymore in favor of the image of holding Ludger's grappling hook in her hands.
Imagine firing a sturdy metal hook at top speeds, latching onto a rooftop or cliffside, and then hitting a button to rappel yourself up just in the blink of an eye. As an aerial combat aficionado, anything that could help someone defy convention as a ground dweller and take to the skies immediately fascinated her. Plus as a detective, seeing and practicing with the kind of tools her fictional opponents sounded equally amazing.
Damn it, now that she couldn't stop thinking about it, Leia had to try these tools out!
"Sorry if this is a bit out-of-nowhere, but would you mind giving me an in-person demo of your replica tools? You can tell a lot about someone's character by the tools they use, and I wanna get a 100% accurate sense of Crown as a person!" Although not the real reason, Leia's excuse did come from some modicum of truth.
The tools Crown chose during his hits could tell her a lot about his priorities in a fight: does he aim for swift stealth kills using long-range rifles, or does he prefer close encounters and uses items to help mask his presence until he's in his preferred range? Until she saw those tools-first hand, all she could do is guess. This was totally a chance to learn hands-on and not goof off in the slightest!
"I don't mind at all. I keep my stuff at home though, so you'd have to come over for a bit. I'd get in trouble bringing any of my tools on a train and back..." Ludger's catch was, though a bit disappointing, understandable. Crown was still (wrongfully) suspected to be behind the Striborg crash. Anyone carrying objects similar to Crown had a guaranteed chance of getting stopped by station staff or the police. 'Better safe than sorry' as a wise do-gooder nags her every phone call.
"No worries, I wouldn't want you to get in trouble for doing me a solid." Leia assured him. "Would it be okay if we went now? Or did you still have something to do in Marksburg?"
"No, we can leave now. I just finished grocery shopping when I saw you street interviewing people."
Awesome, they'd delay no further! "Great, then let's go!" Leia confidently sprinted to the train station, leaving a frazzled Ludger running after her.
"W-Wait, I didn't even say where I lived yet—!" He tried to call after his overeager companion.
Their trip to Ludger's apartment in Trigleph wasn't anything special save for an unrelated revelation: Ludger and Balan were actually neighbors living in the complexes right next to each other. She'd have to ask Balan next time she saw him if he knew a "Ludger". Ludger's landlady said hello to Ludger as they walked into the building, the man waving back with a smile. One elevator ride to the 3rd floor and three doors down, they were finally there.
"Welcome home, Ludger." A man older than Ludger greeted them once the door slid open. "And who's the young lady with you? Did you make a friend while you were out?"
"S-Something like that." Ludger answered bashfully. "I'll get my stuff from my room. You can talk with Nii-san in the meantime. Don't worry, he's very nice!" Not mincing any words, Ludger left her side to the room closest to the kitchen. Once he was out of sight, Leia got a good look of Ludger's brother.
If Ludger hadn't introduced the man in front of her as his brother, Leia honestly wouldn't have guessed it on her own; physically the two looked nothing alike. Blonde hair, blue eyes, and a tan skin tone set him starkly apart from Ludger's grey hair, green eyes, and pale skin. If she had to guess his age, she'd put him near Alvin's range, give-or-take a few years… just as Jude described during their phone call.
Once she mentally stepped back, Leia recognized the absurdity of assuming the person she'd met who fit into her four limited criteria. Many men in Elympios could easily fit her description first of all, and secondly, what were the odds she'd meet the one person who'd put her on a direct course to then meet the man himself? Coincidence could only reach so in even the crazy world they lived in. Not to mention up until meeting Ludger earlier, her luck today was at a record low—Leia didn't want to get her hopes reignited and burnt out a second time.
"I'm surprised Ludger had the courage to invite you over. He's normally not this forward with even his close friends." Ludger's brother chuckled at his own off-hand observation as he directly addressed her, "My name's Julius. Could I ask yours in return?"
The heavy thoughts on Leia's mind exited the premises to let her usual peppiness do the talking, "I'm Leia Rolando, Rookie Detective of the Daily Trigleph! My investigation into the Striborg Train Incident requires I get as much information on Crown as possible, and your brother offered to help me with that. Getting a first-hand demo of Crown's thieving tools felt like a good start."
"I should've figured Crown was the reason." Julius' amused smirk reminded her of Jude's face whenever he caught her doing something wacky. "Well as one who's watched him since he was shorter than my knees, I can advocate you won't find a more knowledgeable secondary source than my little brother. He's been following Crown's activities since Day 1, and he'd be happy to contribute anything to prove his hero's innocent."
"That reminds me! If I may, could I ask for your opinion on whether Crown is innocent or guilty of the train crash?"
"My opinion? How should I put it…?" Julius trailed off, his head leaning against his hand. "For Ludger's sake, I want to believe Crown is innocent. Ludger looked absolutely crushed when we saw the news, and I'd hate to see my brother that upset again if it turned out Crown was the villain everyone's now convinced he is."
When Julius put it that way, Leia's heart went out to Ludger. His passion for the gentleman thief was crystal clear from their brief talk in Marksburg, so no doubt he'd take hearing his hero being blamed for the Striborg crashing into Oscore terribly. It'd be like hearing her parents had literal skeletons in the closet from when they were getting the Rolando Family Inn off the ground. She'd want to believe in her parent's innocence no matter what anyone told her; luckily in the scenario at hand, that's what she was here to do. She'd prove Crown was falsely accused, no matter what the general opinion said!
"You don't have to just believe for much longer! My story's going to be the key that proves Crown is innocent! I'm staking my entire career on getting to the bottom of this mystery, for everyone that still believes in Crown!" Leia's passion made her forget her indoor voice, declaring to the heavens themselves her determination. Luckily Julius took the shouting in stride and perked up a little himself.
"I'll be looking forward to your story, Detective Rolando." Hopefully Leia's joy in hearing someone refer to her as a real detective wasn't too obvious. As a rookie, her efforts weren't recognized either at work or on the field yet, so to hear someone give her props… She'd hope right now would be the first time of many recognitions to come. "But in the meantime, if you've got questions about Crown's tools, I'd be happy to answer. The replicas Ludger uses are ones I made for him after this one time he stuffed a fake grappling hook into a toy gun and—"
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear with an arsenal both in his hands and strapped to his entire body. "Alright, I think I grabbed everything! Let's get going to Alest Highroad before it gets dark!"
Julius let his story's abrupt ending lie for now, not wanting to hold up the fun. "We can save those questions for when you two come home, then. Just be sure not to break any windows on the way to the highroad for me, okay?"
Julius' snide tease lit Ludger's face up immediately. "S-Stop bringing that up, it happened onetime!" He motioned for Leia to follow him back to the front door, but not before a last word, "Don't expect any pasta margherita for dinner tonight." And out he went without another look back.
Was there an in-joke Leia wasn't privy to yet…? She'd like to ask, but she didn't want to make Ludger any grumpier; maybe it'd be one of those additional questions for Julius when they came back.
"I guess we're leaving right now. It was nice meeting you, Julius!" Leia bowed as she went to follow after Ludger.
"Oh, before you go, could you give this to Ludger?" Julius sat up from the table and hander her an Allium Orb. "Ludger'll need one of these if you're both going to be out on the Highroad. This one's mine from work, but I won't need it sitting here at home."
Leia nodded and pocketed the Orb into her coat. "I'll be sure to! I'm glad Ludger's got someone like you looking out for him!" Julius awkwardly smiled at the sudden compliment, though Leia paid it no mind as she waved the man goodbye. "See you when we get back!"
"See you both then. Be safe on the Highroad!" Julius warned.