"Did you hear about the massacre in the saloon on the edge of the town?"
Ted put on his saddest face. "Terrible. I heard there were illicit activities involved."
"Yes, they sold stronger booze than would ever be legal or even proper. I, I am an absolutist. The Faith of the Seed brought me into a new life. I have not touched a single drop in a decade."
"Why, I wish more people were like you," Ted lied.
He did not want more sober, sharp people, because sober and sharp folk tended to see through him.
"Oh, I am a woman of the Seed Faith as well," Eknie said with a smile.
Ted knew this to be a load of manure. The superstitions around the supposed powers of what they called electricity annoyed Eknie greatly, she had told him about her thoughts so many times. There was no sense in the dying religion that vainly tried to revive a nonexistent god of thunder. This was a time of great scientific progress, and Ted and Eknie agreed – behind closed doors, of course – that electricity had no place in those discussions or the circles that brought on the greatest advancement.
Thunder and lightning, those things were closer to witchcraft than science.
Ted stifled a yawn.
"Horrible things happen because of alcohol," John said with a preachy tone. "It would be better if it was prohibited completely, instead of just half-heartedly trying to tackle single issues like moonshine brewery hotspots."
Ted still could not agree. With rampant Neulian alcoholism, he had more potential victims than in a dry town.
"I am sure that the bastard was drunk," he sighed. "Terrifying."
"Of course he was," John said grimly. "They often are. I don't see why this would be an exception."
John used such faulty logic and fanatical fervor in his thinking that Ted began to see him as an easy target despite the initial reaction of the older man.
"Say, are you planning to found a business empire here, cor?" John asked with a sad grin as he opened the door to the building.
"Nothing of the sort," Ted said, and he was also about to elaborate on the meteorologist scheme, but Junior was faster.
"Eighty percent of meteorologists live in poverty." Junior puffed up his chest. "We are going to save them and pay them a good wage. They will solve the issue of the storms down south."
John frowned. "You're talking about the Fin, right? That place in itself breeds poverty. A friend of a friend was, hm, well, exiled and I have not heard of him since. I think you people should be careful. Some say the colony is cursed."
"Cor knows what is best for him," Junior protested. "I think he just wants to engage in charity. All rich people eventually do that when they get bored. I think it's a good thing."
Eknie made a funny face as she stepped in, but only Ted saw her expression.
He knew she was annoyed, but she would have to tolerate Junior for a while. The cult was still in a raw state of growth and the situation was perilous.
Gullible idiots made for a good cover.
"Why, this is fabulous!" Eknie sighed.
The building looked much larger from the inside.
While it was in no way a modern building, there was a certain efficacy in the design and the layout of three larger rooms, with some smaller ones that had, according to John, been used as spaces for quality control.
The details of mass production were as foreign to Ted as they were boring, but out of a desire to appear more polite than he was, he listened sharply enough to comment and sound intelligent.
Then there was the subject of getting John to sell the building. Ted did not want to rent anything – renting gave too much control to the landlord.
Junior went upstairs to check the structures for any moisture damages.
John changed his behavior immediately when Ted suggested the trade.
"I would have to find another source of passive income," John said, and he gave a strange, sleazy look towards Eknie.
Ted did not understand at first.
Then he saw the fur-covered bracelet on John's wrist. It was a subtle sign worn by men who traded female bodies.
Ted didn't know why, but he got the wrong kind of chills from the thought. Had Eknie been male, Ted would have had no problem with John doing what he apparently did on the side.
She was not male, though, and she was among the best possessions that Ted had. It was only natural for him to feel protective. Whether she agreed with him about it or not, despite her lack of a married woman's status, he owned her in a way.
"I need to negotiate with my charitable Miss Eknie," Ted said, even though every word tasted like bile in his throat.
When they were far enough on the yard that they could whisper without fear of being heard, Ted let it all loose.
"I will let you shoot him, but you have to be careful," he said with a low, dangerous voice. "I would rather have you wait for a while and frame someone else. I trust your competence."
"Then trust me," Eknie whispered with a nod.
In her eyes, there was a different kind of burning.
Ted knew her to be passionate about punishing anyone who dared to step on his toes. This was more than a simple step, this was downright dancing on his feet.
Perhaps John mistook an unmarried woman for one who was not honorable. Ted did not give a jack about her honor, but he had his own pride.
He would not suffer his friend working for anyone else. John had to die. Ted intended to hear every last juicy detail once Eknie would complete that mission.
They returned to the building, where Junior was already gushing about the good condition of the supportive walls.
"I will, of course, provide you with opportunities," Ted said. "My good man, I believe we have come to an understanding."
That opportunity was a shot in the head.
Somethibg would have to be done about Junior, too. He had to be introduced to the real purpose, the solar deity worshiping cult, but Ted had to do it gradually, tying the meteorologist cause to the sun god.
It was not that big of a challenge.