Bound by Deception

30.3 A Villain in Disguise

"I say we ask these questions to Madame," Aria said, feeling a pit of dread dig itself in her stomach. The chasm that was opening inside her was sucking away all of her knowledge, and even though she tried to conceal it, she couldn't stop her hands from shaking every time she picked her drink up or scooted her chair into the table. "She's gotta give us some answers now. We have the evidence."

"She's not going to budge," Sterling muttered plaintively. "She's the type of person who always thinks that she's right and she won't change her mind no matter what. And why are we still calling her Madame? We should call her by her name."

"Technically, we're still employed by her," Kazuki pointed out. "It's weird calling her Margot, even when it's not to her face. What's her last name?"

"Dupont," Aria replied automatically. "Margot Dupont. Not much is known about her. I don't even know anything about her family."

"If she has one," Sterling said, waving the waitress over. "I can't see her with a family, honestly."

"She's misled us for the entirety of our time knowing her. She could be hiding a family for all we know. Hell, maybe she has kids!"

"She doesn't look like the maternal type," Kazuki said, pointing to the burger combo on the menu for the waitress. "Three please."

"Right away." She left, and in her place came a youngish man, a soldier dressed in his military garb. He assessed the group coldly, then pulled a chair and sat without invitation, leaning conspiratorially against the table.

"I didn't mean to pry in on your conversation," he said, his voice rugged and deep "but I heard you guys mention a certain Margot Dupont?"

"Yes?" Aria studied him with equal coldness. "Why does that concern you?"

"I used to know a Margot Dupont," the soldier explained. "She's (give description), right? Sort of handsome but with a glacial exterior?"

"That describes her perfectly," Sterling said. "What else do you know about her?"

"Nothing much. She was a pretty quiet gal. We went out for a bit but she left suddenly." The soldier blushed. "Took my damn wallet with her. I couldn't complain though; she was amazing at everything."

"Gross," Kazuki gagged. "But a fair description. Have you seen her here recently?"

"Not for a long time. I thought I saw her when I went to a meeting at city hall, but I don't think it was her. The woman I saw looked much older than the Margot that I remember."

"You've been to city hall recently, huh?" Aria pursed her lips thoughtfully. "Have you, by any chance, heard of any talks of war?"

"War?" The soldier exclaimed, then burst into voracious laughter. "You're amusing, miss. No wonder you're a foreigner. Nah, there hasn't been talk of war in centuries!"

"Centuries!" The three Rouverians chorused.

"Yep." The soldier took a napkin to wipe his tearing eyes. "Damn, war, huh? Nah, missy, there's no war. Maybe in other countries, but not in this Grandville. I would know. I manage quite a large regiment that's vital to the army."

"And...you're okay with distributing government information to strangers?" Aria scowled. "That's dangerous, don't you think?"

"It's public information, Miss," the soldier said with a shrug. "Our government doesn't hide anything from the public. I mean, how would that be fair, you know?" He winked at the waitress that appeared with the three plates of food that had been ordered. "Now, if you wanna talk about mysterious things, talk about Rouver. That country is a shithole of mystery. Nobody knows anything and everyone lives such a depressing life. Not to mention the countless deaths that happen there." He stood and swept a bow. "I wouldn't advise going to visit. That place gives you the creeps. Once you get in there, it's not certain that you'll get out, especially if you have some influence."

He started to leave, then paused. "Also, if you wanna find out more about this Margot gal, head over to the reservation east of here. The tribe is super nice and I think they know quite a bit about Rouver and Grandville's history."

Then, he left, leaving the three assassins staring in contemplation at their steaming food. Then, in tandem with one another, they picked up their burgers, thrust some money on the table, and dashed out of the tavern, determined to find out more about the villain they once called their mentor. 

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It looks like Margot wasn't who they thought she was. Is Grandville really a bad place? Is it all government propaganda? What has Margot been hiding? 

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