Conversation · Easy Leo

"Actually, Miss Beaufort is the right-hand man, but she's a lay-dee," a goodhearted chuckle again.

"Who is this Miss Beaufort?" The lieutenant looks up at Leo.

"A real pretty lady with a skin like those 'Doux & Sucre' candy bars my missus likes so much. Them are real nice to suckle on once the dinner is done and me and the missus sit down besides the radio."

"But I can't listen to the radio all the time. There's so much to do around here and I'm always busy keeping things running here. Yes I am, yes I am."

Stay on this Miss Beaufort topic.

"I think you're doing a great job around here, Leo."

"Yes, this place really seems to run like clockwork. Keep it up, Leo." The lieutenant smiles at the little man.

"Well thanks a lot, coming from you it means a lot, really." You didn't think it was possible, but the smile becomes even wider.

"Sometimes I feel some of the guys don't really get how much I bust my ass for them here, but you guys are all right."

The white rectangle on your clothes might not mean an awful lot in Martinaise, but the recognition from an authority figure made Leo's day.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure this place would totally fall apart if you didn't shine the bossman's shoes, Leo."

You see disdain in the lieutenant's dark eyes when they meet yours for a moment. He does not approve of you ridiculing this little man.

"Oh, mister... I do a lot more than that. I really do most everything around here. Mr. Evrart said many times I'm irreplaceable." He's still smiling, but his voice trembles ever so slightly.

He really takes great pride in being in Evrart's good graces.

"Hold on, who's this Miss Beaufort you mentioned?"

"Oh, Lizzy? She is a real sharp tool. Mr. Evrart put her through some fancy school and everything, east of the river. Four years she was gone and when she came back she was all fancy and law-yerly."

He respects that word -- that's obvious.

"But she's a real nice girl, grew up in this here neighbourhood, knows everybody and gets along with everyone, real pillar of the community one day, I'm sure."

For a fraction of a second there's sadness in his eyes.

He goes on: "If me missus and me was to have a child I'd be real happy if she turned out like her... But she can't have kids."

"Doctor Lemaitre said so, and she knows about such things. Been a doctor for almost fifty years, she has..." He sighs and falls silent, watching you meekly with his blue, blue eyes.

Law school? Could he be talking about the Union fixer, AKA the gardener.

"Another question, Leo."

"Yes sure, I'm glad to answer." His benevolent eyes are looking into yours.

"Okay so this is the Union fixer, the gardener?"

"Looks like it."

"I'm not sure what a fixer is, but she is a real nice girl. Smart as a whip too." The little guy smiles a disarming smile at you.

Telling the gardener you know her name might throw her off? Perhaps something to consider, later...

So Evrart trained a lawyer named Miss Beaufort. Interesting.

"Who's Miss Beaufort?"

"Okay, I'm off." [Leave.]

"Bye bye now!" He returns to his work.

"Where is everyone? The harbour is empty."

"Oh, most of the guys are down at the gates, keeping the scabs from coming in..." He leans in with a confidential look...

"We're on a strike -- the whole union is! You don't have to work when you're on strike. Ha -- we haven't worked for two months now."

"So no one is working?"

"Not everyone is down there of course," he chuckles, "Mr. Evrart is in his office, where he always is, and Jean-Luc is guarding the gate..." He pauses to think.

"...but Titus and his boys got into some drunken trouble and Evrart sent them on a nice vacation. For a week or so..." He stops -- but seems eager to tell you more.

"Got it. But there were other things I needed to discuss..."

"Like what, mister?" His wide smile is truly disarming.

"What trouble did Titus and his friends get into?"

"Oh... I'm not really supposed to talk about that. That's Union business." He smiles and leans closer.

"Him and his boys stirred something up in town. Probably drank too much and got into a fight or something... I heard Mr. Evrart telling them to take some time off..."

Don't go all bad cop on this simple friendly fellow.

"I have another question."

"Sure, sure." The small man nods along. "How can I help you?"

"Really? Did they kill someone?"

"No, I don't think they killed anyone." The little guy shies away from you. "Let's better talk about something else. Titus and his boys do good work, I don't wanna get them in trouble over a little drinking..."

He probably doesn't know anything anyway. Who in their right mind would tell him?

"But what did they actually do?"

"I guess the boys got a bit too rowdy and had to let out some steam. I don't really know the details. That's just how boys are you know..." Another chuckle. "I haven't been in a fight since I was in middle-school..."

"Easy, Leo, let's keep this on the Hardies." He looks to you for assistance.

Look at him, it's not gonna be anything useful anyway. Don't fight it. Better to go with the flow.

"Okay, Leo, let's hear about this fight you got into."

"I remember I was the runt of the class." He laughs merrily. "The bigger boys always used to pick on me. You see, I had a bit of a temper back in the day, flew off the handle like nobody's business..."

"But Mr. Evrart and his brother always came to help. Once they beat old Noel Becker so bad he needed stitches on his head..." He chuckles again. "Noel never started another fight with anyone after this."

"Mr. Evrart and Mr. Edgar are real nice guys, mister. You should go talk to Mr. Evrart -- I'm sure you'll be good friends. He's friends with everyone around here." The little guy starts coughing.

You're never getting anything useful out of him. It's good enough you found out Evrart has a brother called Edgar and he helped Leo.

"Too rowdy? Leo, what kind of a fight did they get into? Did they kill a mercenary?"

Too late! Leo's mouth is still moving and words are spewing forth... words, words and look -- even more words -- this guy could go on till the end of days.