[X] Ask Fate about Tarbin.
"Fate, will you be having anything to drink? Or you, Nove?" You hold out a teacup as Fate shepherds the still-reeling cyborg into the cafeteria. She shakes her head, and after you repeat the question to Nove, she declines as well. "Well, Fate, please sit down. There's something I want to ask about."
"W-wait." You turn back to face Nove as she holds her head. "You … you want to kill Due, if she's still alive, but you don't care about us? We tried to kill you, too!" You sigh and shake your head.
"I don't want to kill Due for trying to kill me. Quite frankly, I don't care about that at all. I want to kill her because she killed Marino, and I liked him. I want to kill her because she hurt Lutecia and threatened her mother." That gets a reaction; did Lutecia not tell them about Due and what she did? Surely she couldn't have just forgotten ….
"What did you want to talk to me about, Flandre?" You glance at Fate, then pour yourself a nice cup of tea and take it to the table with you. After a moment's thought you decide against seasoning it with blood, given the circumstances.
"Mmm … much better. During the interview, I had my clones out to make sure we didn't run into anyone unexpectedly. One of them saw Lieutenant Tarbin trying to make her way here, only for her to be caught by security and dragged off. Ah, so that is why you got worried during the interview. What happened?" Fate goes still before looking down at the table. Alph frowns worriedly at Fate, then transforms into a puppy-like form and hops onto her master's lap to lick her face. Fate smiles and scratches Alph's ears. Then her smile fades.
"… Kathryn Tarbin is no longer an officer of the Bureau, and hasn't been since she was discharged two months ago. She will probably go on trial for murder, will probably be found guilty, and imprisoned for, if not the rest of her life, a lengthy period." You pause and take a drink, then look at Fate.
"Is that why she wasn't allowed to see me?" Fate shakes her head.
"She wasn't recognized until after she was arrested; they stopped her simply because she had broken through the security cordon and already injured some outer perimeter guards. She … she was coming to see you - to give you a 'gift.'" You cock your head expectantly.
"A gift? Will I be getting it, or has the Bureau decided to keep it for themselves?" Fate turns sickly white and looks away for a moment before looking you in the eye.
"Flandre, she had a small cooler with her when she was captured, and was far more concerned about its safety than her own - she kept saying that it was for you - for 'Lady Flandre'. And when they opened the cooler to see what was inside, they found a human heart. The victim hasn't been found yet, but they don't think she'd gotten it out of the body more than a half-hour before being caught." You tilt your head slightly, thinking, then take another sip of your tea.
"Thoughtful of her. Misguided, and misunderstood, but thoughtful. Unfortunately, without a living body and blood to pump, a heart is just meat to me." Fate screws her eyes shut, and Alph leans into her, raising her head to lick at Fate's chin. What can you do - and what should you do? If you'd been there when she was captured, maybe you could have done something useful - perhaps an execution for her crime - but if she's already in the Mid-Childan system then you'll probably have a harder time getting things done to your satisfaction. Certainly, you could still kill her, and if she's already killed someone to try and 'help' you she probably won't have any issues doing so again … if she hasn't already.
… It's all Satsuki's fault, you realize. Normally, you wouldn't mind Tarbin's behavior, and you would probably either shrug and let the Bureau do what it wanted, or force them to give her back to you the way she is. But now you have Satsuki, and you have to be responsible and think things through. And if there are any others of your unit who are affected as badly as Tarbin …. This is so complicated. And not only is Remilia not here, even if she were here, she probably wouldn't help you unless you really needed it ….
What do you do?
[ ] Ignore her; it's regrettable, but it's probably better for her if she doesn't know you know about her, and Satsuki is making progress but would probably still be upset if you try to help Tarbin.
- [ ] Timeskip:
- - [ ] Shopping.
- - - [ ] Bring Cinque to serve as a model.
- - - - [ ] … and Nove and Wendi. You did say you'd try, after all.
- [ ] Mission.
[ ] See if you can have a meeting with Tarbin.
- [ ] Execute her; you don't want people getting the idea that you condone wanton lawlessness, after all.
- [ ] Try to get her released into your service.
[ ] Other?
DM Note: 'You Got Mail?' would have been a heart that Tarbin sent to you. She wubs you! (A write-in, or at least a brief explanation, of how you want to get her released back to you - if you choose to vote for it - would be appreciated.)
