A Small Act

"Ok, so…we'll be staying here from now on?" Olivia asked as she entered the previous residence of River, her tone lacking any sense of admiration.

"Precisely," I replied, my voice carrying a note of finality.

The clothing we had left behind in our previous apartment remained untouched. We had arrived at this house with nothing but our phones and the clothes we were wearing.

The modern and sleek renovations to the house had already been completed and our necessities were already placed in their respective locations.

"I'm going to take a bath," she said, ascending the stairs to choose her room.

As soon as she disappeared, the doorbell chimed through the house.

"I don't think officers would arrive this quickly," I muttered to myself and made my way to the gate.

With a soft click, the gates swung open to reveal Cedric standing before me, his laptop bag held close as he adjusted his glasses and informal coat.

"What a pleasant surprise…are you here to check on me?" I asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"G-good morning, Sir…uh, yes, something like that," he stammered.

'Something like that?', I pondered as I led him inside and gestured for him to take a seat in the living room.

"So, what brings you here?" I asked, settling in next to him.

"Sir, actually the thing is…" he began, withdrawing a black file from his bag.

"I have been assigned as your personal…" he trailed off.

"Personal what?" I inquired, reaching for the file in his trembling hands.

"Personal Assistant," he said, the words barely audible over the lingering silence between us.

I stared at him for a moment, my mind racing to keep up.

"That's a good thing. You can assist me via phone and devices," I suggested.

"N-no, sir. I am your personal assistant, responsible for guiding you with everything related to Ankarath and your current identity as River… I am instructed to stay by your side. As of now, I am also your holder and your assistant," he clarified.

"A holder?" I asked.

"Every weaver is assigned a holder, sir. The work of a holder is to generally cover up the tracks of your presence. Any person who is suspicious of you being a supernatural or part of any such organization is dealt with by a holder. He or she is also responsible for keeping an eye on possible internal threats and informing you beforehand. For example, another weaver of any other or the same clan that might be thinking of targeting you."

I fell into stunned silence.

"And also to fulfilling your certain demands upto the extent which we are authorized to"

As I heard Cedric's explanation, a subtle smirk formed on my face. 'He is a lot more useful', I thought.

"That's even better," I said.

"T-thank you sir", he said and was genuinely happy that I accepted him without any sort of minor retaliations.

"What's with your dressing sense? Messy hair? Old-class glasses? Unconfident personality and stinky scent?", I asked.

"Sir-…", he muttered looking down.

"Go freshen up first, you need to have a personality fitting to be my assistant", I said.

"Y-yes sir and the officers that are coming for a general inquiry about the burning incident in your office are not related to Ankarath in any manner…I mean I didn't have time to alter with the inquiry I got late in that, and they are just outside the house as of now", he said.

"No problem, you go freshen up, I'll have a chat with them", I said.

"Y-yes sir", he said as he stood up and took his bag and went upstairs.

"Well…I've never acted before", I muttered.

"Now…", I walked towards the bar table, took out the bottles of the drink, a glass and kept it on the table. I discarded my coat and belt, tossing them carelessly onto the couch.

I chugged down two bottles of the fiery liquid and smashed them against the wall, sending shards of glass flying. I fumbled with the music player, selecting a playlist of dark, brooding tunes to match the air.

Then, I took off my cap and roughed up my hair with my hands and altered my body language to appear as if I were drunk, with slightly slurred speech and a staggered walk.

I took off my shoes threw them in any side of the room and just wore socks.

"Well…this might work", I muttered.

The doorbell rang.

I walked towards the entry and opened the gates with a soft click. Two police officers stood outside, one of them a woman with long black hair and light blue eyes, the other a man with brown eyes and black hair.

"Mornin' officers..." I slurred, my words slow and drawn out.

The woman flashed her ID at me. "Good morning, sir. We're here for a general inquiry about the fire that resulted in one casualty at your office."

I squinted at the badge. 'Lyra Nightshade, chief inspector?' I thought to myself.

"Oh, righ', righ', the fire," I mumbled, trying to focus on their words. "Terrible thing, terrible."

The woman looked at me with a mix of suspicion and concern. "Sir, are you under the influence of alcohol?"

"Whaaa? Me?" I tried to act surprised as if I had no idea I was drunk. "No, no, no, I'm jusht shuper tired."

"Come on in, come on in-" I said, gesturing for them to enter the house.

As they walked in, the woman said, "I'm sorry for your loss."

I stumbled a bit, trying to steady myself.

"Hah! Don't be. I'm not the mourning type," I said, a bit too loudly.

The officers exchanged a quick glance but didn't say anything. I stumbled over to the bar table, trying to act like I was having trouble keeping my balance, and poured myself a drink.

I took a sip, letting out a satisfied groan.

"Now, what can I do for you?" I slurred, trying to sound helpful.

"Can you tell us what happened that night?" the woman asked, pulling out a notepad.

I stumbled over my words, trying to think of what to say. "Well, uh, I wasn't there, you know, but I heard there was a fire and my assistant was trapped. I was devastated, really."

The man raised an eyebrow. "You weren't there? Where were you?"

"What? You're suspecting me…Y'you son of a th-", I said a lout but was interrupted by the woman.

"Sir, Sir, Sir…we're not suspecting you or anything, it's just a general enquiry", she said.

"I was at the bar at that time…I have witnesses", I said.

The woman nodded, jotting down notes. "We'll need their names and contact information."

I nodded, trying to keep my act up. "Of course, of course. Anything to help, you know."

"Is this…really a general enquiry? A chief ins'ins' inspector came righ'right here", I said.

"Sir we are not completely sure, but this can turn to be a murder case, we will be investigating this case further", she said.

"Can you think of anyone who might have had a motive to start the fire?" the woman officer asked.

I pretended to ponder this question, rubbing my chin thoughtfully.

"Hmm, I don't know," I said. "I can't imagine who would do something like that."

The interrogation went on for a while but they decided to not inquire much at the moment as I was not in the condition to answer all of their questions, I managed to keep up my charade till then.

"Then…we'll be sure to inform you if we have any updates on the situation, sir," the woman said, rising from her seat. I made a show of attempting to stand but instead collapsed back onto the couch.

"I understand," I replied, maintaining my drunk act as the officers made their way to the gate and exited the house.

I straightened my posture and readjusted my shirt before returning my body to its normal state.

I retrieved my coat, belt, and cap and pulled my hair back into a neat ponytail. After cracking my neck and shoulders, I let out a satisfied sigh.

"That's better," I murmured to myself.