The door creaked slowly open, revealing a tall, muscular woman. She wore a familiar apron, but an unfamiliar expression. The scowl on Arria's face was one Yakob had never seen before - rage distilled into its purest form. He stood at the back of his unit and gestured to her that everything was okay. He cleared his throat and spoke before anyone else could.
"Excuse my partner madam, we're here to perform a routine inspection. Would you mind if we come inside and ask a few questions?" Yakob winked.
The scowl softened ever so slightly, confusion edging its way into Arria's eyes. "Yes... My Ma's sick though, so watch out."
"Who are you telling to w-" Jackie began
The progenitor of Arria's scowl poked her head around the corner. Yes, that was the true thing. Disappointment, anger, and indignation all wrapped up in those deeply furrowed brows.
"Never in my whole life have I ever heard, let alone seen, a youngun so rude!" Ma interrupted Jackie. She pointed a scraggly finger at Brutus as he pushed his way through the door. "Boy, don't you know how to speak to a lady? Didn't your mother raise you right? I should like to speak with her and I would hope you're ashamed of how you acted just now. A good slap around the head might do you some good. Deary me, kids these days don't know how to treat their elders, do they? Walking around like they own the shop! I grew up here, I'll have you know, and not once has a single person spoken to me in such a way, so I'll be damned if I let you get away with it now, boy."
Ma's rant devolved into a fit of racking coughs and Arria rushed to her side, helping her back to bed.
"Them's the polite ones," Brutus jerked his head at the rest of his unit. "I'm 'ere for smashin'."
Lauren stepped forward, casting a glance around the dimly lit room. Her eyes fell upon the bags of flour - one clearly labelled 'Aquila Family Farm'. Her hand absently drifted to the baton at her side. "We have a few questions for you," she said with narrowed eyes.
"Just get it over with. You've ruined this town enough," Arria's Ma spat.
"How do you earn a living?"
"Baking, mostly. And business is right slow because of you lot!"
"Trenmir operations in this backwater are a temporary measure to ensure we capture a dangerous Drai. Is this an offensive concept to you?"
"Psh! You're scarin' the customers away, and that's offensive enough."
"Hm. Where do you source your ingredients?"
That question caught Ma off guard. She was expecting more questioning along the lines of her loyalty to the Empire, but she was disarmed by the inquiry from left-field. "Well, lots of farms 'round the Armastan River. They deliver to us along the boats."
Lauren fell silent and paced in front of the sacks of flour. Arria shot a pleading look at Yakob, who just shook his head.
"Lawkeeper," Lauren stopped pacing and spoke facing away from everyone. "What is our responsibility as an extension of the Emperor's will when faced with a potential enemy of the state?"
Jackie licked her lips. She didn't even bother unrolling her scroll. "To take any and all measures necessary to be sure of a threat. To inspect and report any suspicions or dangers to our immediate supervisors."
"Any and all measures? Well," Lauren clicked her fingers at Brutus. "Let's inspect, shall we?"
"Nothing from the golden boy?" Brutus grumbled past Yakob.
Yakob had to make a decision. It would be extremely unwise to reveal his connection to Arria, but his family name was on the sack of flour there. "That bag of flour..." he mused, wincing inwardly, "must have been delivered by my brother, Amos Aquila!"
Lauren took a knife from the kitchen counter and began slashing bags of flour. White particles flew into the air as she stabbed and slashed, spraying Arria and Ma's lifeblood across the room.
"No!" Arria screamed, "Stop her!"
Jackie turned to Brutus and told him to search the cabinets. "Don't leave single thing unopened or unturned. These people have had contact with the fugitive. I'm going to inspect the other room."
"I have a few more questions for the bakers," Yakob said sincerely.
Jackie nodded and gave a double thumbs up. The room was a mess by now. Lauren was breathing heavily. She let out a maniacal laugh and returned to destroying the means of livelihood for Yakob's loved ones. Yakob just turned a blind eye.
When Jackie left the room and Brutus was occuppied with trying to open a pantry, Yakob approached Arria and Ma.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, "I couldn't stop them from coming here."
"Bastards," Arria whispered. "This how your stupid plan was supposed to go, Yak?"
"No, but I-"
"No buts, young man," Ma interrupted, not quietly. "You knew the risks when you joined the bootlickers. Make your peace with your new life!" She gestured angrily at the dusted room around her, then fell into another fit of coughing.
"Go stop that crazy bitch," Arria said, "She'll kill my Ma with the flour."
Yakob nodded solemnly. He turned and called out, "Lauren! You cut open every bag of flour already, there's nothing in there. Go help Jackie in the other room."
Lauren whipped around with the knife in her hand. Her skin was a pale white, her black vestments coated with a thick layer of the dust. Her eyes were wide and pupils dilated. When she saw Yakob, giving her orders, she snarled, then threw the knife across the room. It clattered to a stop after meeting the cabinet beside Brutus' head, who exclaimed in surprise.
Lauren straightened - Yakob hadn't even realised she was hunched in an animalistic manner - and stalked past him. "Just a bit of fun, Yak," she said slyly, trailing a finger across his chest as she passed, leaving a trail of flour.
Yakob managed to maintain a neutral expression, but Arria's nostrils flared. She stood, ready to unleash a tirade, save for Yakob's pleading, fearful gaze. Arria nodded and sat back down, but the anger never left her face, even when Lauren was gone.
"Hey, Yakob, over here," Brutus called. "Think I got something!"
Yakob's heart dropped. "Let me see."
As he approached, Yakob noted that every single cupboard Brutus had opened was actually just ripped off the hinges. It seemed he had been unable to figure out how the latches worked and used his ingenuity to solve the problem.
"Here," Brutus handed a flimsy slip of paper up, then continued rifling through the contents of the cupboard. Yakob heard the clinking of ceramics and something break. "Can't read that thing."
Yakob looked at the paper. Scribbled across it in a practiced script were cramped rows of runes. Alone, they weren't incriminating, but they were closely associated with the powers of a Pisces Drai.
"Shit," Yakob mumbled out loud.
"What?" Brutus bumped his head extricating his size from the recesses of the cupboard. "Ow."
"Um, no, nothing. It's... a shopping list," Yakob spitballed.
In actuality, the runes seemed to be practice. They were repeating. Yakob's runic wasn't the best, especially when compared to someone like Shanty or Xae, but given time he could read them. If any of the others knew what these were...
Yakob decided he had to destroy it. If he ripped it up in front of Brutus, it would seem suspicious. He didn't risk asking Arria about it, not until everyone else was gone. He only had one option left.
There wasn't time to doubt his decision. Brutus was the only one who wouldn't realise what he was doing, so Yakob had to work quickly.
Yakob hunkered down next to Brutus, pretending to peer inside the cupboard alongside him. There, he saw his target: The pipes for the sink.
Yakob closed his eyes and concentrated his mana, feeling the flow of it like he had been taught. At a higher rank, this would have been so much easier, but the fear of insanity held Yakob back from progressing. As it was, he used the powers of a Rank One Aquarius to intertwine his own energy with that of the water. He and it were one.
Then, he pulled.
With all his might, he pulled.
Yakob started to sweat. The water strained against its copper casing, begging to be free. That is the essence of water - freedom, change, but also adaptability. The power to respond to any situation. That's what Yakob did.
"Yakob?" Brutus asked, "You all good?"
A brute force approach wasn't working. Instead, he focussed harder on the water feeling where it leaked, where the pipes joined. That was where he channelled his mana.
Suddenly, the pipe groaned and gave way, water spraying forth. The jet of liquid assaulted Brutus and Yakob, thoroughly drenching them both.
"Fuck my luck!" Brutus stumbled back, spitting water as he did so.
Yakob stayed where he was, ensuring the paper was effectively liquidated. The ink ran until it was blotchy.
Jackie and Lauren burst forward, taking in the scene. Lauren couldn't contain her laughter - that same delirious sound from before.
"I think it's time you all leave," Arria said, gripping a rolling pin threateningly. "Unless, you've deemed my pipes and flour a threat to the Empire?"
"Nah," Jackie said between giggles, "I'm bored anyway. Let's get pissed."