Lacuna

Chapter 4

"Debt collector's agency?" Gale echoed. He hesitated. "There is such a thing... but I didn't know your father had any debt. Next time they stop by, send them to me so we can work out a deal. You've worked hard for Portia, so it's the least we can do."

Kahli sighed. "Thanks," she muttered. She couldn't believe it was true, which is why she came to the mayor as soon as she could. But it seemed that there was a very real possibility that it was true, and that her father had left her to clean up his mess.

"You should also have a talk with Martha," Gale continued. "She had to deal with some debt when her husband passed. Maybe she can give you some legal pointers?"

It was better than nothing, and it gave her a chance to see more of the town instead of being stuck in a workshop without a clue as to what to do. She followed Gale's directions until she found Martha. After introducing herself, she explained the situation to her.

"I'm so sorry to hear that you're dealing with your father's debt," Martha said, sounding sincere. "Though, from what I can remember, he didn't seem like the type who'd be in debt. I've had to deal with the debt agency before. The point man around Portia is actually Mr. Isaac, so they're very easy to deal with and very fair. Don't worry too much!"

"Isaac?" Kahli echoed. She raised a brow. "That's not who approached me."

"That can't be right," Martha started. "Unless something happened that I'm not aware of. Mr. Isaac should still be the sole representative in our town. Maybe you should talk with him. I'm sure he'll set the record straight."

It seemed she would be spending the day running around town. But at least she could put off ruin diving for another day.

The older gentleman wasn't hard to find, and to her surprise, he confirmed what she so desperately needed to hear.

"What are you yapping about? Your father didn't have any debt. Heck, I'd even classify him as a penny pincher during his time here. Whoever came to you wasn't from the debt agency."

"They called themselves Agent T and Agent H," Kahli explained.

"Tuss and Huss!" Isaac growled. "These two buffoons are at it again!"

"I'm sorry?"

"Those two idiots are brothers from around Portia. They're bandits, or at least they try to be. They make some trouble now and then, but they're mostly just a pair of imbeciles."

Kahil wanted to feel relieved that there was no debt to be paid, but she wasn't sure how much trouble these two men would cause her. "What should I do?"

"Well, I'd ignore them, but that's just me. Maybe you can have the Civil Corps do something about it."

Kahli sighed. At the very least, it seemed the people of Portia were familiar with these two. Hopefully they would be dealt with swiftly. The last thing she needed, however, was an enemy making trouble for her in the future.

Kahli found her way up the hill toward the Civil Corps building. Arlo was standing outside at the stables, grooming his horse.

"And what do I owe this pleasure?" he said in greeting.

"I hear you can take care of problems," Kahli said.

Arlo grinned. "Maybe I can. What trouble have you gotten into already?"

Kahli explained the situation to him, and Arlo laughed.

"Huss and Tuss? Doing what? Ha! That's pretty clever of them."

Kahli crossed her arms and raised a brow. "Hysterical."

Arlo cleared his throat. "How much time did they give you? A week? I'll be sure to show up that morning as well."