"What a boring day," complained Élodie Duval, sitting at her desk in the Blume police station.
"You say that after you crushed that monster's skull last night," retorted a policeman walking past her. The blonde shook her head.
"You don't understand! That was last night, not today. Nothing interesting. I guess it's because it's still early," commented Élodie, looking out the nearest window.
"It's always good for things to stay that way, you know? It's tedious having to deal with cases all the time," said a female police officer whose desk was near hers.
"You raised a flag already!" shouted a middle-aged policeman in the distance. This made Élodie smile since she wanted a more interesting day.
For her, it had been a normal day so far, much to her chagrin. Élodie Duval could adapt quickly to any situation, but she was still surprised by how a police station operated.
As a police officer transferred directly from the military to the city of Blume, the pace at which her colleagues worked was very different from what she was used to.
There were new codes to learn, different tactics, and various ways of handling specific situations. She could no longer simply empty a magazine into an enemy or smash them with her warhammer; she had to comply with more restrictive regulations.
Except for certain entities and at special times, like last night. The incident was still fresh news in the local paper. Élodie had fought and killed a Goat sucker that attacked a group of lumberjacks on the outskirts of town.
She preferred taking on these types of cases, where she could unleash the savagery hidden beneath her skin rather than follow the tedious rules of the police.
It bothered her that she could only take the initiative unless it were necessary, such as reading a criminal their rights and asking them to calm down and put down their weapons.
She always thought this sort of thing only slowed her down when solving common cases, such as robberies. She believed that she could prevent a crime if the criminal died from a hammer blow instead of having to ask them to put the gun down.
What was the worst thing for a woman as active as she was? Without a doubt, it was the paperwork. The blonde was used to continuous action in the military, with hardly anything like duty reports to complete.
"Duval, the boss wants to see you," a young policeman said, approaching her.
Police Captain Holland was generally described as stingy. Despite being well into middle age with a prominent receding hairline, he still managed to convey a comforting feeling to his people.
Élodie quickly went to his office, not wanting to waste any more of his time. As a newbie, she knew she enjoyed some privileges other cops didn't because of her status as a warrior and former military member.
She wanted to be in Holland's good graces, so she put on a serious countenance when she entered his office. No matter what the captain asked her to do, she kept a calm mindset so as not to appear careless or snooty.
Imagine her surprise when her boss sent for her and assigned her a task involving not only the Tower but also a witch who served as a mystical consultant to the police in Blume.
She was happy with this development! Although she didn't know all the nuances of the case, she had wanted the right to shoot at the slightest threat ever since she moved to Blume. At that moment, a big smile blossomed on the cop's face.
"So, boss, can you tell me more about this Séraphine Rohan? I've only heard a few things about her through rumors and the newspaper," she said, hinting at her curiosity.
The blonde had heard many things about Séraphine Rohan in the room where she was working. Besides knowing some basic things, such as that the brunette was frequently featured in the newspaper and that she was a witch, she knew hardly anything about this woman.
"She's a complicated person, you know? My best advice to you is to refrain from making a bad comment about her appearance when you meet her," replied Captain Holland, who was smoking a cigarette at the moment.
"What kind of advice is that? Is it taboo to tell her she's ugly?" Élodie raised an eyebrow and asked, causing Holland to shake his head before taking a puff on his cigarette.
"No. It's so that you understand that she cares deeply about her appearance. I wouldn't know how to describe her in depth. We all have our nuances. But if you want a quick rundown... Séraphine Rohan is a spiteful witch." Holland's words made a strange smile form on Élodie's face because she felt there was some gossip behind them.
"How did someone like that become the police's supernatural consultant?" Élodie asked the question that intrigued her the most, and Holland flicked the ashes off his cigarette before answering.
"Effort and connections. The girl may sound shallow at times, but she has real knowledge. She's not a witch for the sake of it. We also can't ignore her connections in the city and the capital. Don't forget her last name." When Holland said the last sentence, he lowered his voice as if he didn't want to be overheard.
"She's from the Rohans!" asked Élodie loudly, causing the captain to hiss at her to be quiet.
"Don't mention her background so lightly. No one talks about that at the station, understand?" The man warned, causing Élodie to nod in agreement.
"Well, I guess that's it. Go do your duty. Take some special bullets before you leave, okay? I don't know if you'll need any for interesting effects," Captain Holland said, gesturing to shoo away the blonde policewoman. She walked off, leaving a chuckle behind.
Once alone, Holland crushed his cigarette in the ashtray and rubbed his eyes. The Tower calling him for support on a supernatural case caused him some stress. However, even though Élodie was new to the police force, he was confident she would get it right this time.
"Whatever's hiding in that place, I hope you can bring her some of the terror our army generates," Holland muttered before lighting another cigarette. He felt like he would have to smoke the whole pack to calm down.
From the moment she left her boss's office, Élodie started laughing and doing a crude dance, which soon earned her ridicule and whistles from her colleagues.
"I've seen better dances from my dead grandmother!" shouted the woman whose desk was close to Élodie's.
"Samantha, leave your grandmother alone! She was a good person," said a policeman with a smile.
"I don't know what's worse: Élodie's dancing or Samantha using her dead grandmother as a crutch all the time," complained an elderly policeman with gray hair.
"Don't worry. When you die, Samantha will use you as a crutch," said a young policeman who had brought the message to Élodie. He patted the old man named Herbert on the shoulder.
"Ronald, it's not nice to wish death on others," said Élodie, reprimanding her partner. He simply stuck out his tongue before passing a cup of hot coffee to the woman.
"What were you celebrating?" asked Samantha, who was very curious, especially on a quiet morning like this, when boredom reigned.
"I'll be working on a case where I can use lethal force," said Élodie, patting the regulation weapon attached to her waistband.
"Violence has eaten away at your mind! It must be those radio programs. Since those machines became popular, people have gathered around a carcass to listen to insipid programs full of bad messages," Herbert growled. The others remained silent, shaking their heads in disapproval.
Who was going to argue with a veteran cop like him? Although what he was saying sounded reasonable, the young people present dismissed it as an exaggeration. Listening to the radio couldn't be that bad, could it?
"Whatever. I'll work with that witch from the newspaper, Séraphine Rohan," said Élodie, choosing to return to the topic and not letting Herbert continue with his constant complaints about modernity.
"Uh, be careful. The woman is a bit complicated. She likes to take the initiative and doesn't listen to us," said Samantha, wrinkling her nose slightly at the mention of Séraphine's name.
"The sexy witch with the big cleavage?" Great! She's nice to hang out with, except that she's a bit haughty and looks down on the police every chance she gets," commented Ronald, offering his take on the witch and earning some strange looks from his coworkers.
"Brother, witches are not things you should touch. They'll suck you dry, and you won't be able to walk for a long time. I know." Herbert confidently patted the shoulder of the young policeman next to him and gave him a meaningful look.
"Too bad Séraphine doesn't throw shingles on that roof," Samantha said, causing Élodie to nearly spit out her coffee.
"What, is she...?" Setting her cup down on her desk, Élodie made an obscene scissors gesture with both hands. Samantha nodded before waving the pen in her hand.
"Rohan? She's a diva and a show-off. She's greedy for money, and she seems to have it in for the cops. But the girl's a good kisser." Samantha licked her lips as she said those last words, as if she was remembering something.
Élodie's blue eyes narrowed as she processed all the information she had received from her future mission partner. They were going to have to work together soon. How could she not try to get to know Séraphine better?
Although information about her was scarce, Séraphine had certainly attracted her attention. So, while preparing her weapons, taking her hammer, and traveling to Blume's suburbs, anticipation grew inside of her.
Now, they were about to fight together, and in the process, she would learn more about Séraphine Rohan.
𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝𑄝
"We can't just approach this in a leisurely manner," Séraphine complained as she looked at her squirming shadow.
"It doesn't bother me! I've wanted this," replied Élodie, smiling broadly as she saw the same phenomenon occur in her shadow.
The atmosphere soon grew dim as black clouds covered the sun. Séraphine channeled aether from the depths of her soul as she raised her left hand, ready to cast a spell.
Her improvement encouraged her to turn to magic, though she was clear that she needed to use her energy more sparingly because she didn't want to feel bad again after having spent the day that way.
Élodie's method of using aether differed from the witch's. A blue glow ran down her right arm and covered her warhammer, producing a constant buzzing sound.
Their shadows finally stopped changing and turned into a sticky substance. In both cases, they twisted and began to take on the form of entities resembling dogs. These were quite large, with orange eyes that resembled fire and dense muscles beneath their lush, black fur.
"Shadow hounds, Grim," declared Séraphine, recognizing these supernatural entities.
"They're just bigger dogs!" exclaimed Élodie. She tried to take a step forward, but the detective's hand touched her shoulder, stopping her.
"Look, officer. I don't care how you do things, but you were sent to provide support. I mean, you listen to me. Understand? Calm down and think with your real head, not your hammer head." Séraphine's voice was still soft with a touch of sensuality, but her pleasant temperament seemed to vanish.
Séraphine, a blonde, stood before them. Her eyes gave her a critical look, and her lips wore a faint, disdainful smile. The witch raised her head slightly and pointed her chin at Élodie in an arrogant gesture.
"I just wanted to resolve..." The cop was a bit shy, having been caught like this. The brunette's approach was different from what she had shown before, leaving the blonde unsure of how to respond.
"Do you plan to just pounce like that? Can you see them attacking?" the detective interrupted, pointing at the pair of dogs. The animals adopted a flexed posture, as if they wanted to attack, but for some reason, they didn't.
"Isn't it better to take the initiative and kill them?" asked Élodie, who had to take a breath before speaking, trying to compose herself.
The police never expected Séraphine to be so rude when they heard it would be complicated to deal with her. What was wrong with what she wanted to do? The witch didn't have to give him such an annoying smile!
"If an enemy doesn't attack you, why should you provoke him? Didn't you learn anything in the police academy? It seems my taxes are being misused," Séraphine growled, clearly contemptuous, as she crossed her arms under her chest and raised them a little.
"Well, you're the 'consultant' here. Let's see how you work it out." The energy in Élodie's body disappeared. The policewoman simply raised an eyebrow before resting her hammer on her shoulder. She wanted to see what the witch would do next.
As she watched the blonde calm down, the detective also put away the anger boiling under her skin. She glanced at the pair of dogs, who were less alert now but still watching the women warily.