Orrin shrugged. “Humans,” he said in way of explanation. “They suggested community service in addition to a small fine.”
“Small,” I repeated—when I’d checked, the small fine had been several thousand dollars. He must have some serious money if he considers that small. Couldn’t that poke a hole in my theory that he did this at Gisila’s bidding? If he’s wealthy, she couldn’t really hold his job over him.
“Regardless, the Cloisters will not go for such a small punishment.” Orrin shrugged his shoulders. “It wouldn’t set a good precedent for future issues, and I cost them enough money in damages that the cheap, penny-pinching Night Queen heard of it. As she is on the Midwest Regional Committee of Magic, she will not settle for such a light sentence—and she has the power to make it so.”
“Ahh.” I said. “Yeah. The Night Queen is very concerned about budgets.”
The only reason the task force program had expanded as rapidly as it had was because the Night Queen supported the idea. （Personally, I felt her reputation for being cheap was a misrepresentation. Yes, she’d yanked back the spending of the fae offices located within the Curia Cloisters. But I’d heard rumors that before her, the fae offices had a private tea room in the Cloisters and held weekly parties. If that was true, I couldn’t blame her.） I slightly shifted, thinking. “You know, if you—”
“I will not answer any questions nor give any reasons for my actions,” Orrin said.
“…I was going to say if you appeared to be more sorry, they might have a better idea of what to do with you,” I said. “You have a geas. I know you can’t talk.”
Orrin finally looked at me, his eyes narrowed. “Yes. And you seem very intent on using it as an explanation for why I won’t speak.”
I shrugged. “We have no idea how widespread your geas is. If it was required as a term of your employment with Gisila, maybe you can’t say anything.”
Orrin frowned, his brow furrowing. “Are you not aware that you could get me put in Ghast prison?”
I tried to follow his thinking through our conversation and failed. “…I’m not following you.”
“You implied the Curia Cloisters doesn’t know what to do with me because I didn’t harm anyone. The fact is you were the one most endangered by my actions. You could push the matter and convince your superiors to throw me in prison based off what you experienced.”
“My teammates were more hurt than I was,” I said.
“Hurt, yes, but you were the one whose life was most endangered—you could have died,” Orrin said.
I felt weirdly chastised as Orrin scowled at me. “Maybe, but I had to save my team,” I said.
Orrin gave me a withering look matched with a scoff. “You take too many risks—and it pays off only because you’re a slayer.”
Words couldn’t describe how weird it felt to have Orrin—the fae who’d loosened monsters downtown—lecture me about my fighting habits.
Feeling much like I had when Sarge had given me a similar talk about me taking too many risks, I set my shoulders. “I carefully measure risks when I enter a fight,” I said.
“You measure risks to your surroundings and your team, not to yourself,” Orrin corrected with a careless air.
I watched him, thoroughly confused.
That he’s judgy about what I did is very weird given he was the reason why I did it. I frowned behind my mask. And why does this feel like he’d understand the paper Sarge wants me to write? If he gets it, just how backward am I?
Orrin scowled at his steaming cup of hot water, annoyed with something—me, probably—and shook his head in disdain. “I find your presence draining. You should leave.”
Normally I’d maybe stay and try to push it, but my shift would start soon, and I needed to finish the coffee smoothie I’d left in the meeting room or I’d be hungry all night.
I unfolded my arms from where I’d held them behind my back and nodded. “Enjoy the tea.” I waited until I had the door open to add, “I’ll see you later.”
Orrin puffed up. “There will be no late—” I shut the door on his objection.
The werewolf locked it behind me, then nodded in another salute. “I hope it went well?”
“Well enough,” I said.
I still don’t know what I’m trying to accomplish, but it feels like I got some traction.
As I walked away from the shifter offices, I mentally reviewed the conversation and my observations—I’d need to write it down for notes.