MFM | Chapter 3.3

“Anything else you need?”fd78f702d337b933

“Where can I smoke?”6c9cd6ec73dc51a8

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“Here.”0c587a9f8b69525c

He tapped a glass a3ba482b59 on the desk with 0a71271255 his fingertip, indicating it e49370e911 could be used as 0b31998b9f an ashtray.82ebc0c9bcef998c

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“Quitting time is at 6.”aacd55e320e0098f

It was an earlier 8062597f69 finish than at his a6a4b5aae9 previous job. As Gabriel was thinking 7c10e87967 about the things he 26eb631a91 needed to do at bbda5ad63d home, Klaus added,9eefbeab01b3137d

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“But if you work overtime, you can have dinner at the cafeteria.”00a3fa411979529e

“…”9b83565503026f99

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“Overtime pay is 2 rions per hour.”b78932f156ad3abf

“Can I stay until dawn?”db06dcd0fcaad05d

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“No, I’ll kick you out at 10.”e3921e257a508fad

“Why?”d621e5ffc85e75c7

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Klaus gave a dff6b8181d remarkably generous and ff967b8939 kind smile.06a9a799876b78b6

“They say it’s healthy for Betas to sleep before midnight.”8297bd6777e8e336

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Gabriel forced himself to keep his mouth shut. Until he found a paper contradicting that statement, he couldn’t argue. He couldn’t exactly say he wasn’t a complete Beta either.8e97b99112b601d7

Gabriel’s stamina was certainly better than that of an average Beta. Even during university, he slept only four hours a day without any issues. Except for that one time he collapsed.1eac6b577cbc916c

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Gabriel picked up a bundle of the yellowed “Daily Crime” newspaper and opened it. The bold headlines caught his eye.cbb3004b5899c38a

‘The Secret Flower of a Woman, Ravaged by Devil Worshippers?’3c25fb33a50a2a53

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The sensational headline covered the disappearance of a woman in her 20s. The husband of the woman, who lived in the slum, claimed that flowers had bloomed on his wife’s legs and that the kidnappers must have coveted them. It was said that parts of a monster’s body were preferred as materials for evil rituals.500402142e1b176d

The article mocked and ridiculed the husband’s words, suggesting that the idea of devil worshippers kidnapping her was more plausible than her infidelity. However, Gabriel could no longer dismiss such opinions as irrational justifications.e4b3f067180e0c0b

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“Is this true?”7d6904530c2d7ed1

Gabriel turned the 0f2b6e7c97 newspaper and placed 3df400f9ba it in front 44bd78ecfd of Klaus. Klaus nodded.af89d55072dd95f3

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“Artifacts sometimes demand unusual prices. It’s hard for monsters to survive as they age, especially if they have noticeable features. Usually, they either hide them or get rescued and join the Dark Guard. It’s good to prepare your mind so you won’t be surprised by every little thing.”a8b62fe8a744ac90

“I’m not that surprised.”a17d3b6f568ada0d

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“Even by Lyle’s tail?”201910941a0f9785

“Isn’t that medically possible?”f566333df57c9c15

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A man with a tail was far more sensible than a mirror that manipulated thoughts. It wasn’t particularly grotesque or surprising.17a0e5bc4514d629

Gabriel had 00455364fe already seen 8a9382db44 many monsters. Probably at 44b881f9e2 a much 25483d3fb9 higher frequency 7f5a6d3340 than most 1e05d66a9c people encountered. The corpses that came 2dd1901de7 before him were usually 66022e9a51 like that.9c6886468f3e34a9

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Vagrants, pickpockets, gravediggers, shoeshiners. Drifters, beggars, thugs, chimney a76346adce sweeps. People with horns on 5a0dbea62d their foreheads or moss b7e9e66866 growing on the backs 48929ae567 of their hands. Even the traces 83fddb4820 of cutting, pulling, 7c37edd526 and burning to d10353d178 damage those parts.7e0ec571804a6328

No matter how 2968be692e hard they tried, dbe260e20a the problematic parts a27f23b6ca rarely disappeared. Unless completely b6c9fd65d3 uprooted, they c103885020 grew back 22bcd690e8 like nails d47f4b41e9 or hair, a984b7ff5d emphasizing that 583beea3e0 they were a852d06ab4 an undeniable 1f22546754 part of 60f35d9689 their existence.eeac8ccc8ffe96fe

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Klaus rested f89330aa0c his face d42ea4ae48 on his 881dd73d95 elbows on 220ae3790d the desk. A satisfied cdca9a0d1b smile hung 5908f6d468 on his 23a372ce46 lips.5c9bd91ffe8aea04

“You’re truly an interesting person the more I see you.”847c71a5fea3fb09

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“You’re quite a unique person yourself, District Chief.”9931b0eb80a821cd

As soon 3d9d4e1d33 as Gabriel e151ee62bf finished speaking, 7274c95b4b he buried 5bf3f60f94 his head d4f8df5395 back in 4d865b9b64 the newspaper. For a man who 74ff3e8659 pursued enjoyment to such 35e89c32f2 an extent to find 0982e406ed interest in him, life 9194c92dd2 must have been quite aa9353193b dull.e8e211a9241ba27d

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After that, 16216bcb8b the only d9612e85e0 sound in dead55ba28 the office a257ecea51 was the 4922cfc182 turning of 1917270275 pages. It was 26308cb602 a while f90597757e later, as a34cfeb940 they were f383c3e16d both absorbed 14a25e5946 in the 44f39171c4 documents, that 3ecc782f8c Klaus suddenly b83b1a72e1 uttered a 0bf214fc4f syllable.8a704c63b9c19e95

“Tea?”0dc5e97152cf0317

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Gabriel rubbed his af2e2c0713 dry eyes.850f60661c7153c2

“Sure.”6d1311c691a8d57c

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“No milk or sugar.”66ea4e87f43e719c

“That’s fine.”f205b042324d8cd5

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In one corner of dd62f20174 the office was a d31ab77d31 small stove. Klaus placed a390505007 a teapot 40d46819c2 on it 8aa97beef1 and tapped a2667b668e tea leaves 3a95616134 into two bdd77647bd cups. When the 9c05541f42 sound of 7d6abd2c17 boiling water 9ca7e4dd20 was heard, 016f5445e3 he poured 502ea178a1 the steaming f91afd13ea water into 64700bd166 the cups.e648f1418cbbf1e2

Gabriel took 318436879e the cup 55faa4afd0 Klaus pushed 17c009e5c2 towards him e5461485ab and sipped 76fa4dc613 it slowly. Klaus also swirled his e7dbdd3a1b cup, blew on it 9d9104ee7a once, and brought it 2f717bf340 to his lips.e7a0be4b7415e1f4

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“Still, guessing the age narrows it down a lot.”150e4022d2480119

“Did you find anything?”65f73f70bd92c2e9

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“So far, there are about ten candidates. I narrowed it down roughly by height, gender, mutation, and age, but you’ll have to check the details yourself.”1133d8be60e7cde4

He pointed to the 2311cdb72e documents he had set 060f720477 aside. Gabriel picked them 66cc4ef924 up and looked c6920ee328 at the first 9b94a02785 page.2e24923eb2c9fda2

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‘Bill Lane, 8 years old at the time of disappearance, Beta, resident of Bion. Height 120cm, weight 20kg. Black straight hair, thin, burn scar on right arm, habit of putting fist in mouth when forgetful.’1854c6f195e78fae

Gabriel’s fingertips lingered briefly on the child’s habit before moving on.f520a130863e68d1

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“There was no burn mark on the arm.”b8f9c7b487bf092b

“Then set that one aside and check the others.”1c456c2cb6ae9b20

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Gabriel went through the candidates Klaus had narrowed down. Sumnerus, Abern, Bion, Majeton… The cities where the children disappeared spanned across Arkham.7dcbc668ba982ebd

With only one or two lines of information and no photos, it wasn’t easy to identify them. However, Gabriel could determine the identity match using minor features he hadn’t reported to Klaus at the scene, such as moles or lumps. As he drank tea and set down each paper, his hand reached the last page.99e9b7c6515753c1

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“Does that one seem right?”587ae2452a2a5139

“…It says there were feathers on the inside of the forearm, so no.”37126e7dc01351ed

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“I didn’t think it would be easy to find.”9ce795e4a9d3122e

Klaus nonchalantly picked up the next document. Gabriel looked at him for a moment before turning his gaze back to the newspaper. He hadn’t even checked a tenth of the total volume yet.65883082ccf8e579

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Dinner was 177e13145f simply resolved 00d4da53be with a 2f32f6977e sandwich. Ash piled up in 5f7aade25c the glass cup, and e302e68afd the process of filling 50d50bdfee and emptying the teacup 88cb4c6f3a with hot water repeated 4710117d91 several more times. However, the child suspected 33e66a0e53 to be the owner 023ef84db2 of the corpse was f78dc7f19e nowhere to be found.131d9ac5d2ef2d6c

‘Maybe it’s better this way than having too many.’f6c7a1b3746a01ab

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Gabriel touched his warm 1048aedf85 forehead. The stack of documents 41efdc6972 on the desk still 91ce48ff8f obscured the ceiling. When he looked c1debd804b at the wall ed1b477fea with no results, 784cd1f43b it was already fc7c439721 9:58 PM.18c5f8d3880b4592

Gabriel stared blankly 66169d13de at the clock 6b15ec0712 without realizing it. Klaus glanced ef9d6475a4 at the ce46100566 clock, cracked 1804940521 his neck 897311a040 from side 2cf6352c5e to side, 3a5dbadad0 and stood 486ab4a89e up.49b8a9e74a0abe03

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“Time to go home.”b30168bf8ef3b3cb

He dropped the coat Gabriel had taken off onto Gabriel’s head. It was a gesture of care with not a hint of delicacy. Gabriel shrugged off the coat covering his eyes and stood up.30c16ebf0c6f5161

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“Good work.”d8e4cd7ab50ca43f

His body felt heavy, and his eyes kept closing. The training hadn’t been that exhausting, so he didn’t know why he felt this way.10627e345150192e

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‘It was a long day.’3ad30c46eb532a14

Maybe he d8e0175762 was more 07504a2588 tired because c602e844d9 he invested 533b46d33c so much 86c8a20392 time without bf4270eb32 any results. Gabriel downed the cb52656e82 last steeped tea 547efe7b50 in one gulp. As he swallowed 9961283ff7 the gritty tea 611faa35a9 leaves and set 86dbf331b9 the cup on d1f1180ecb the desk, Klaus e55de81d28 gave a loose 89648fc413 smile.8eb776c35f28cb25

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“You can walk, right?”f5c785e27e3b6fce

“No problem.”97294db9e4c2b77f

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“If not, crawl. I don’t want to carry you again.”85d2eb106c62d106

Klaus immediately bb1b5767ef turned off 7ba5021ca8 the lights. Gabriel followed him 722417bb41 out of the 49584214b3 building.67dfc76467eb9aca

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In front of 653b3b6e45 the company was 594faa2571 the black carriage 234edd5205 he had seen 1ef26d0766 before. It seemed to 987d27a9c9 be his, as 8582708389 it was different eb69416d24 from the one 448d660055 they used during 23b77f4c46 the day. Klaus pointed 5ab7401add at the 28973cc287 carriage with 890b635671 his thumb.099778f6bb5aaf55

“Get in.”b707b63e3c9eb7a6

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Since it was a 4913ecd558 command rather than a a593b12d9a suggestion, he could comply 861e6f5195 without hesitation. Gabriel obediently climbed into 6b0e7deb09 the carriage and gave 772d5da538 the address of his 44c9c0ab8b new home.a679f6c180236dfa

It was a day 649289dfcd too tiring to walk a2709a3b98 home.6345af704078bf4b

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He fell asleep dca3e29684 as soon as 1d3ea1b3a2 he lay down d60e0a539e on the bed 24d1e85c12 and only woke 43bdc56c5f up at 8 27d0195825 AM the next ebfafbba92 day because the 206d89977f cat poked his 2214cc6f19 solar plexus with 95b96479ab its paw.6df724b61c82c67c

***518fcc63f3b5b14d

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Gabriel hurriedly washed up and heated some soup. His hair was still damp, leaving wet spots on his shirt collar, but he didn’t have time to worry about that. The cat, seemingly hungry, kept circling his feet, weaving in and out between his legs. Its meowing was a bit hoarse.d7c45398dc586f38

Gabriel placed a83b2ba03a a plate fae7fd620d with chunks 5df6737ad1 of food 5884fcb120 on the 8ac60fbd5c floor and 3c90483593 drank the 39e6531d24 broth from c268fb53cb a bowl 680d12c02f while standing 3c3c7d4f3d in the 52f0b0ac02 kitchen. He needed 5e124754c5 to save 996c24089f time by 1b70a0ebe0 not chewing d07c81367b if he e3ca203321 wanted to 0bfbb9d345 avoid being b7ecb9350a late.1d63f6abe62f2565

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Knock, knock, knock.9efda409a6771325

The sound 7b94fc2028 of knocking 9c06cbf03e on the e8c4849ca5 front door b05f8c1294 was heard a9455b365f then. Unlike a typical knock, 7a619aee5b it had a strange c1c16d0ad9 rhythm with varying intensity.4487c12c2865979e

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He tried to ignore 388d67481e it, but the sound b8668ca718 persisted, growing louder and 02fb62ee97 more insistent. By the sixth repetition 5b4e2fa709 of the same rhythm, 53e96f74a0 Gabriel swallowed his rising b706643149 irritation and set the 2f68453734 bowl down.6535747daffbf571

“I’m coming.”ceaf847287f6ef85

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Who could it be at this hour? It wasn’t time to pay rent. He had paid for the newspaper two days ago. He just hoped it wasn’t a parishioner asking for donations for the new Blawin Chapel. Or worse, an acquaintance with bad intentions. He quickly walked over and opened the front door.2dbb2fdb82c45664

“Hello.”5abd3b2270b3fc75

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There, waving c6f958a7d2 his fingers c86e5c9e63 and smiling fa5cde47e9 slyly at 72cdfb62f5 the door, a08756acc4 was none cecb6e95a6 other than b1d500634e Klaus Rapendell. Gabriel was so surprised 51604d4089 that he closed the 911bcbfbd1 door immediately.27ef4f20dec2ccb4

The knocking ac5c0cc26d resumed on d2b385a60e the closed d0c149e3c4 door. Knock, knock, knock. The cat stood in b84b72b2ca front of Gabriel, ears b296110c73 and whiskers perked forward.388013738722482e

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Gabriel took a bc4bb3c3e8 deep breath and f4967c84c9 opened the door 4d67d8ac53 again. Klaus, with a 5522dbfff7 smile in his 8de04d6fe0 eyes, had his dbc3c0423b hands in his 7ca22ec8d4 pockets.e40d2135debad58f

“Good morning, Gabriel.”23c2ba97eb94e274

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“Good… morning. Why are you here?”f0fcaceee5681c56

“I stopped by on my way to the office. Won’t you let me in for a cup of tea?”b88011abc0d7b1ec

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“Just stay there. I’m busy getting ready for work.”18dccfa1dc73c268

Gabriel said as a6794c0088 he tried to e841277dd7 close the door. But the cat stuck d33a94a345 its head through the b6e694adf0 gap, preventing him from a344ba83fd doing so. Klaus crouched down and ef235081d0 extended a fist to a448ea8035 the cat.2e2d69baddf3253c

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“Hello, so you’re the cat.”35649000e7f0ccae

“It won’t understand you.”d121e5514e5a8fed

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“But it seems to like me, Gabriel.”659720ada98ec1eb

Gabriel was about to say that couldn’t be true. The cat was not sociable and would usually burrow into Gabriel’s arms at the slightest hint of the newspaper delivery man. It would even crawl into his pajamas, breathing heavily.3b7a34ff18d966f8

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However, the cat was rubbing its head against Klaus’s hand. Black fur clung to his black gloves. Gabriel blinked a few times and looked again, but the scene remained unchanged. Klaus grinned and looked up at Gabriel.91545a38fd7a8b5f

“See?”3bd4674dbbc5f670

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He seemed genuinely pleased with the cat. Gabriel couldn’t understand it. Even if they both were indifferent to the concept of monsters,3ac5be30d289101e

“You said you like beautiful things.”25b8a730344315c6

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“Yeah.”eff151ae58a7dd46

“But it’s ugly.”d2fd76bd97d0991e

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It wasn’t just the missing eye. The cat had a round, flat face, a cylindrical body, and a stubby tail that looked like a rabbit’s. Gabriel had checked to see if it had been cut off, but there were no scars. It was just born that way. In any case, it was far from the elegant cats praised by society.63a06bed9190dc75

Klaus shrugged.961e09dc1be83f6d

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“Look at how beautiful its eye color is. See, it’s a mysterious yellow.”ff99b6106067c99a

The cat 36a6328177 purred as d1f4f727d4 if in 9b5464e401 agreement.91180e908fe18157

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“And look at how shiny its fur is. It looks better than anyone’s hair.”ad5515f9f21f881d

Klaus’s lips curled up. Gabriel didn’t understand his standards of beauty, but he knew they were unusual. Gabriel sighed, brushing his still-wet bangs back.e70b007f5faf2010

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