A tense, heavy silence followed Captain Dubois's introduction. Then, Sergeant Lomare, perhaps out of a sense of duty or just to break the suffocating quiet, began to clap. It was followed by another. And another. A slow, begrudging round of applause rippled through the assembled officers, a scattered, half-hearted patter of hands. Their expressions were neutral at best, and disdainful at worst.
Céline didn't react. She simply waited on the stairs, her gaze cold and unflinching, until the last forced clap died down, leaving an even more awkward silence in its wake.
Then, she smiled. It was not a warm or reassuring smile. It was sharp, predatory, and utterly devoid of warmth.
"Let's drop the act," she said, her voice cutting through the pretense. "I know exactly what kind of precinct this is." She took a single, deliberate step down. "I know how corrupt the Kingdom's Watchers are... and I know how corrupt you are."
As the words landed, the black-uniformed officers moved. With a terrifying, synchronized efficiency, they stepped into the crowd of blue, detaining specific, pre-identified officers. The whole precinct erupted into a state of confused shouting as officers who had been untouchable just minutes before were suddenly being put in cuffs.
"Meet your new brothers and sisters in black," Céline announced over the commotion. "They are the Internal Affairs Division. From now on, you will all be held to a new standard. Your head, hands, and feet are the law in this city, and for the law to be healthy, a routine check-up is required."
She let her gaze sweep over the remaining, stunned officers. "With me as your watch commander, we will not 'play' Watchers anymore. We will serve and protect the citizens. Equally. Human, elf, dwarf, halfling, tiefling, beastkin, demon... it doesn't matter."
A few officers swallowed hard.
"There will be no more bribes."
More uncomfortable shifting.
"No more power plays. No more games." She gestured with a sharp, dismissive wave toward the group of now-detained officers.
She then addressed the arrested men directly. "For those of you being taken in, don't worry." She gave them that same, chilling smile. "You'll have your trial. We have a new tool from the capital: a magic lie detector."
The arrested officers visibly paled.
"If you pass," she said, her smile widening slightly, "you're free to go." Her expression then darkened, the smile vanishing as if it had never been. "If not… then even if the Demon God himself were to be reincarnated, he won't be able to save you."
A heavy, absolute silence followed. One by one, the corrupt officers were marched out of the precinct, their protests and threats dying on their lips as they were loaded into armored transport vehicles.
"Dismissed," Céline said to the remaining, shocked officers.
As the crowd began to disperse in a daze, Wolfe looked around and spotted Valdi, still leaning against the same wall, looking completely unfazed.
"It's shocking you're still here," Wolfe said dryly.
Valdi shrugged. "I have been divorced three times," he said with the weary wisdom of a long-suffering man. "I know not to take what isn't mine."
Wolfe was taken aback. "You've been divorced three times?"
"This decade, yeah," Valdi confirmed.
Their conversation was cut short by a voice that sliced through the entire bullpen. "Sergeant Wolfe! Officer Monet! To my office. Now."
It was Captain Dubois.
Valdi nudged Wolfe with his elbow, a teasing grin on his face. "Oooooh, Sarge. First day, and you've already caught the eye of the new watch commander."
Monet and Wolfe walked into the Watch Commander's office. It was the same room where Captain Kilpo had held court, but it felt entirely different now. Captain Dubois wasn't sitting behind the large, imposing desk. She was standing by the large window overlooking the precinct yard, her hands clasped behind her back, a general surveying her new territory.
Wolfe, ever the professional, spoke first. "Ma'am, just to be clear, I'm not a sergeant. I'm still on demotion, so my official rank is Training Officer."
Céline turned from the window, her green eyes fixing on him with an unnerving intensity. She cut straight to the chase. "I've read your file, Wolfe. Why didn't you push an appeal on your sergeant's exam? You know as well as I do that you passed the written portion with the highest score in a decade. You were failed on the oral exam by an examiner who had a vested interest in seeing you fail. Why? You don't trust the review board in the capital?"
Wolfe met her gaze. "It's not like that, ma'am."
"Be honest with me, Officer," she said, her voice dropping, leaving no room for evasion.
Wolfe paused, the silence stretching for a beat too long. "Yes, ma'am," he finally admitted. "I don't."
A flicker of something—approval, perhaps—passed through Céline's eyes. "Good. Not eating from a rotten sack is a logical thing to do." Her gaze then shifted to Monet. "Is this your rookie?"
"Yes, ma'am," Wolfe said.
"Congratulations, Sergeant Wolfe," Céline stated simply. "Effective immediately, your demotion is rescinded. For now, you will help me stabilize the units. The detectives, the patrol officers—they need a trustworthy head to lead them."
"But ma'am—" Wolfe started, taken aback by the sudden promotion.
"We need a trustworthy head to lead the units, Sergeant," she cut him off, her tone making it clear it was not a request. "Can you do it?"
"Yes, ma'am," he said, accepting the new reality. "Then... what about Monet? She needs a T.O."
"She's riding with me," Céline declared.
The statement shocked both Wolfe and Monet into silence. The new Watch Commander was taking a rookie as her personal aide?
"Go," Céline said to Wolfe. "Help the other divisions get their bearings, Sergeant."
Wolfe looked at Monet, giving her a single, reassuring nod, then turned and left the office. As he walked out, Céline stepped past Monet and into the hallway. "Follow me, Officer Monet."
As they started to walk, two IA officers in black uniforms entered the captain's office, carrying empty evidence boxes. Monet glanced back and forth between the captain's retreating back and the office she had just left.
Céline didn't look back. "They're there to search for any of Kilpo's hidden files and to clean the office," she said, her voice a low, disgusted murmur. "I can't have an office that reeks of booze and sex."
Monet's spine went rigid. This was going to be a very, very long day of work.
…
Monet drove the Watcher patrol car with the cautious precision of someone transporting a live bomb. Her hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly her knuckles were white, her spine a ramrod against the seat. Beside her, Captain Céline Dubois stared out the passenger window, her expression as serene and unreadable as a frozen lake.
"Why are we driving through the safest, most boring neighborhoods in this city, boot?" Céline asked, her voice cutting through the tense silence.
Monet stammered, her mind racing for a plausible excuse. "I... I... It's a... a standard patrol route, ma'am. For establishing a visible presence."
"Don't tell me Wolfe never taught you where the actual hotspots are," Céline said, her gaze still fixed on the pristine, respectable houses they were passing.
Monet's throat went dry. Of course he had. But the warnings from the other rookies that morning were echoing in her head. 'Be careful,' they'd said. 'Her career is golden, yours is... not. If she gets so much as a scratch, it's your ass in a sling.' She was terrified.
"Is it because you're riding with me?" Céline asked, finally turning to look at her. "Do you think I've gotten to this point without knowing how to defend myself?"
The direct question, laced with a hint of annoyed pride, broke through Monet's fear. She was an officer of the Watchers. She had a direct order. She took a deep, steadying breath. "No, ma'am," she said, her voice now firm. "My apologies. I will take you to the first hotspot now."
She made a sharp turn at the next intersection, heading toward the city's notorious underbelly.
They arrived in the red-light district, and Céline's eyebrows raised slightly in surprise. The streets were well-lit, the cobblestones were clean, and the usual sense of grime and desperation was conspicuously absent. It was still a place of vice, but it was an orderly place of vice.
"Quite a clean district for such a place," Céline observed.
"Yes, ma'am," Monet replied, glad to be on the firmer ground of reporting facts. "My C.I. in the area mentioned a major power shift in the criminal world. They said the old gangs were... dismantled. The new owners have taken over, and now it's like this."
Céline's sharp eyes scanned the street, finally settling on a new, impressive building that dominated the skyline. It was a tall, elegant structure built in a striking Eastern style, with upturned eaves and glowing paper lanterns. "What's that building called?"
"That's new, ma'am," Monet said. "They're calling it the Hao Pavilion. My C.I. says it's an entertainment house. The higher the floor, the pricier and more exclusive the services get."
"Interesting," Céline muttered. "Do you have a C.I. inside that building?"
"I don't, ma'am," Monet admitted. "But... I think Sergeant Wolfe might."
"Alright," Céline said, her mind having already processed the information and moved on. "Take me to the next hotspot, boot."
…
Another two weeks passed. Erwin's reputation had solidified. He was no longer just a rumor; he was the go-to man for low nobles and wealthy merchants who had problems that required both discretion and results. As he walked back to his boarding house after a long day of consultations, he saw a familiar, official-looking Watcher car parked directly in front.
As he approached, the passenger door opened. An elf with sharp, intelligent eyes stepped out, followed by a weary-looking Sergeant Lomare.
"Lomare," Erwin said with a nod. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to introduce you to our new Watch Commander," Lomare said, gesturing to the elf.
Captain Céline Dubois walked toward Erwin, her presence commanding even on the simple cobblestone street. "Can we talk, Private Detective Erwin?" she asked, her voice a calm, direct question.
Erwin paused for a beat, his mind racing through a dozen possibilities. "Sure," he said finally. "Follow me."
He led them up the stairs to his office, which also served as his living quarters. "Do you want tea or coffee?" he asked as he went to the small kitchen nook in the back.
"Tea, please," Lomare said immediately.
"No need," Céline stated at the exact same time.
Lomare paused, a note of genuine sadness in his voice as he corrected himself. "No need."
Erwin suppressed a smile. "Alright, straight to business then. What do you need, Captain?"
Céline didn't waste a second, straight to the point. "Come with us. Be a Watcher."
Lomare looked shocked at how plain and direct she was, his jaw practically hitting the floor.
Erwin scoffed, a dry, humorless sound. "Why would I do that?"
"So you can get justice for the perpetrators of the missing child case," she replied, her gaze unwavering.
Lomare's eyes widened. He looked at Erwin. She had struck the one nerve he knew was still raw.
Erwin went silent, his casual posture stiffening. "You have a strange kind of humor, Captain."
"I'm not joking," she said.
"Alright," Erwin countered, his voice now cold. "Let's say you're not joking. How are you so sure other criminals won't simply be released again, just like the last ones?"
"That's why we need more people like you on the inside," she said simply.
Erwin sighed, a long, frustrated sound. He paused, weighing his options. "Even if I joined, it would take too long for me to climb to—"
Céline cut him off. "I have a fast-track slot. A direct commission to the rank of Detective. It comes from the new Chief himself."
Erwin stared at her. "You're really desperate, huh?"
Céline didn't answer, but she held his gaze, her green eyes unflinching. Erwin found himself looking at her—at the determination in those eyes, the faint hint of red on her lips, the way the light caught her platinum hair. He was the first one to break eye contact, looking away toward the window.
"Let me think about it," he said, his voice quiet.
Céline stood, her mission for the day accomplished. "You had better hurry, Golden Commander," she said, using his public moniker as a final, parting shot. "My slots are not that numerous."
With that, she and a still-stunned Lomare left, leaving Erwin alone in the silence of his office, with an offer that was impossible to refuse.
**A/N**
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**A/N**