Gustav St. Germain

Gustav St. Germain (alternatively written as Saint-Germain, see Trivia) is the Vice-President of the Daily Days newspaper and information agency. He works with his assistant Carol primarily on incidents involving the immortals.

Appearance
Gustav is always depicted wearing a monocle on his left eye. He is typically depicted wearing a long black overcoat over a white shirt and black trousers. He wears a black bow tie and brown scarf, the latter of which he either tucks into his coat or drapes smoothly over his shoulders.

His clothes are both elegant and obviously expensive (as is his umbrella, which he carries with him constantly), and overall make him seem rather like a "wealthy entrepreneur."

He has sharp, hawkish eyes, and some of his brown hair is grey. It is difficult if not impossible to determine his exact age; on first glance, Gustav looks "rather young" but has also been described as "middle-aged," owing in part to the grey hairs.

Narita has also described his eyes as "looking nothing less than evil."

Personality
Gustav is a well-spoken individual: his speech is exceedingly fluid and polite in such a way that people don't dare to interrupt him (even when he rambles). His 'ramblings' tend to be a series of rhetorical suppositions (such as his musings on rainbows) leaning toward both the philosophical and practical.

He is memorable for the points 'system' he has with Carol, awarding her a number of points for her answers to his rhetorical questions. It is unknown if he actually has some sort of system in mind when judging her answers, though it is likely the points are arbitrary.

He is a highly capable journalist and prefers investigating on-scene rather than from the comfort of his desk. He and Carol often travel as a result. Furthermore, he is competent in a fight, easily able to fend off Graham Specter's men when they hijack their westbound transcontinental train in 1934.

It is clear that he is protective of or otherwise cares about Carol to some extent, as seen when he carefully guards her from Renee Paramedes Branvillier in 1934.

1934
(Note: Gustav's following conversation with Carol aboard the train was adapted for the anime in Episode 01)

In 1934, Gustav and Carol board a westbound transcontinental train for Chicago, Illinois. In their (plainly furnished) First Class compartment, Gustav reads a newspaper while Carol watches the passing scenery through the window. Carol excitedly exclaims when she sees a rainbow in the sky, and Gustav muses that a rainbow is indeed a wondrous occurrence that soothes its onlookers. He wonders why a phenomenon reminiscent of a child's thoughtless drawings draws such admiration from people.

Deepening his tone, he goes on to point out to Carol that people have thought definitively since their childhoods that rainbows are 'exquisite', and asks her why that is. She demurs, and he tosses his newspaper onto the desk. Gustav proceeds to consider the "sudden appearance of such an object in the sky," first noting that people who are ignorant of light refraction might see the rainbow as a harbinger of disaster. Several cultures do already. He suggests that perhaps the arc of a rainbow is the path along which disaster will 'rain down.' Perhaps the end of the rainbow has set vegetation ablaze.

He states that it isn't unusual at all for people to perceive things in this manner, and yet people still look at rainbows with a sense of "child-like wonder." He asks Carol if she's ever thought about such things. She hasn't, but from her perspective thinking about it won't get her closer to the answer. As far as she can tell, their job isn't to think about things, but to "report to others the outcome of what's already happened."

Gustav smiles faintly and shakes his head, informing her that her answer was "only" worth about three hundred and nineteen points ("Out of how many?"). He says that while she's correct that their job is to make the world aware of "the facts," she must never stop wondering about the authenticity of information, even after she has taken possession of it. Neither she nor he can allow themselves to be satisfied with "the mere knowledge of the veracity of the facts," for that is their responsibility as journalists.

Puzzled, Carol asks him what there is to think about - after all, she cannot change the facts just by thinking about them. Gustav gently argues the opposite: depending on how one thinks, the facts of both the past and future are both capable of changing. As he talks, he begins folding the newspaper on the table as if it were origami. He continues on to say that no matter what happened in the past, knowing the immediate future allows one to change an outcome entirely. After all, information only gains value after you think about it with your mind and your heart.

Their conversation is interrupted at the sound of a muffled racket in the corridor. The door to their cabin bursts open, and in file a group of men with bandannas over their mouths and knives in their hansd. Carol flinches, and Gustav ("like clockwork") raises the folded newspaper above his head. Just as one of the men shouts for them to keep quiet, Gustav swings his right hand down with incredible force. An explosive noise "rather like the sound of fireworks" cracks through the air. It is ear-splitting.

Simultaneously, Gustav takes hold of the end of his umbrella (leaning against the chair) and uses the hooked handle to trip a man who has just entered the room. As the man falls backward, Gustav throws the newspaper at one of the two men in the hallway and proceeds to nail him with an "unusual uppercut" that sends him flying into the air. The third man aims his revolver at Gustav, but before he can pull the trigger Gustav covers the gun's magazine with his hand, sticking the cylinder. He snatches the gun away, and lands a powerful kick between the man's legs. The man crumples to the ground, eyes rolling back into his head. All this happens in just a few mere seconds.

Carol tentatively asks Gustav if he is all right as he stows the gun in his coat pocket. Gustav sends a sharp glance her way before smiling, and apologizes for using the newspaper before giving her a chance to read it (though if it is intact, it should still be readable). Gustav immediately uses the attack as a didactic example of what he'd been previously elaborating: In other words, it was because he had foreseen the possibility of an attack thanks to interpreting preexisting information that he was able to prepare himself and escape danger.

The girl realizes in astonishment that he knew from the start that they might be attacked, but Gustav modestly says that it was a very good educated guess. Bewildered, Carol asks why they boarded the train at all, and Gustav admits that he'd only arrived at such a conclusion when it was too late to return the tickets. He'd even given The President their receipt ahead of time. Or is Carol suggesting that they should follow Rachel's example and climb under the cars?

Their conversation is interrupted yet again when they hear someone outside the cabin door ask Gustav "...you...who the hell are you?" in a voice filled with malice. Gustav calmly sips his tea and introduces himself as Gustav St. Germain -- although he adds that "St. Germain" is a pseudonym he borrowed from the Count of St. Germain (see Trivia). He informs the stranger of his occupation, and adds that he'd greatly appreciate it if the man would consider subscribing to their tabloid. He slips in that he dabbles in information brokerage at the end.

The man's bloodlust does not dissipate, and he hisses "let me tell you...let me tell you an unfathomable story" ("I am listening," says Gustav). He says that he and his gang had determined to announce their arrival to Chicago with "a rather explosive bang" by robbing the bluebloods aboard the train, and he asks who led Gustav to make this "educated guess" about their attack. Gustav laughs lightly and asks if the man wouldn't mind letting it slide, given the virtue of Gustav's occupation; with a humble tone, Gustav adds that "the conclusion" will not change per the man's whims. There is no changing the past, no matter "how much you search for meaning in a completed action."

The man comments that the presence of Carol is making him feel far less inclined to continue on with the robbery, and tells Gustav that he doesn't like his roundabout way of answering things so could Gustav just actually answer the question instead of beating around the bush? The two of them negotiate, and after some snickering over his tea Gustav agrees to the man's terms and decides that he'll explain to the man the "details surrounding a certain incident." He advises Carol that this will be an excellent learning experience for her, and that he expects nothing less than her full attention.

After all, he thinks that it would behoove her to know the story surrounding a man named Claire Stanfield and the people associated with him -- although this particular tale is centered around a woman who is practically Claire's other half. Carol is surprised at Claire's name, and Gustav remarks that Claire's father was a rather old-fashioned man. As Gustav pours himself another cup of tea, he invites the man to come in and partake in tea as well, since it is chilly in the corridor. The man hesitates, but Gustav pours out some tea for him anyway.

Gustav proceeds to relay the events of 1931: Another Junk Railroad. He wraps up his story by discussing what happened to Graham Specter's gang in the two years since those events: how they (unlike Jacuzzi Splot's gang) made too much commotion in territory controlled by larger mafia families, how they'd become targets - and how the Russo Family made them a certain offer. The train Graham's gang chose to take from New York to Chicago had a security problem in that once the train passes a certain point, it is impossible to know that a robbery has taken place in First Class until the train reaches the station. The train is naturally the one that Gustav and Carol are currently travelling on. Not to mention - Graham's gang could boost their own morale by emulating their idol Ladd Russo (who'd hijacked a train back in 1931). Further still, they'd heard a rumor that one of the First Class passengers is an unpopular miser. Although Gustav had thought it was unlikely they'd take action, he'd been in the midst of preparing his newspaper gun when he'd heard them coming down the corridor.

The other man in the room is of course, Graham Specter himself. Gustav asks if his story has satisfied him, and Graham cackles that he understands everything now. He'd just been Gustav's tool through which he could tell the long, long story to Carol. Gustav suggests that he take it as a favor, gratis. He'd thought it would be useful for Graham to remember such a story. Graham continues to babble on about how he'd heard about these "Immortals" and "Huey Laforet," and how delicious his tea has been. As he promised, he'll let Gustav off the hook. At any rate, he doesn't feel like robbing them anymore.

Graham stands and makes to leave. Gustav takes a sip of his cold tea and says that as thanks for Graham's compliment towards the tea, he'll give him one more piece of information (also free of charge). According to Gustav, there happens to be a man with a thin mustache in the adjacent cabin who always carries around large amounts of cash and jewelry solely to be ostentatious. Indeed, he might just be the "unpopular miser" that Graham had heard rumors of. Graham frowns, and then smiles as he slams the cabin door open and shouts for his "lazy bastards" to get up. He knows damn well that they all roused while the story was ongoing.

The first of the men (Shaft) to get to his feet complains that they've surely had enough for today, but Graham points out that since he himself isn't injured, there isn't anything stopping them from the proverbial round two. Shaft asks how Graham can say such a thing, and then casually asks "Oh right, you mind givin' me a cup of tea too, Mr. Information Broker?" Graham tells Shaft to hurry up, and he and the other two delinquents step out into the hallway.

Left alone with the two occupants, Shaft pours himself a cup of tea, and with a grand smile and a bow (and cup in hand) he apologizes to Gustav for the trouble, not having known that Gustav would be on board today. Gustav surmises that Shaft must be one of Sham's vessels and admits that he's a tad surprised - he didn't expect to see Sham mingling with the likes of those delinquents. Sham quietly replies that this exchange should be kept secret, and that it's nothing that "Master Huey" should be made aware of. Gustav is interested in this development. It seems that Sham has branched out from under Huey's command of his own free will. Taking into Sham's side job of providing the Daily Days/The Informer with information, does that mean he is planning to eventually seize power over Huey and Nebula? Sham denies this, and says that he is indebted to Huey and respects him very much. No, Sham merely wishes to have freedom; after all, Huey is not the only human that he has a personal interest in. Sham grins and says that while Graham can be terrifying, he is also intriguing. Yes, it is deathly painful when he slams his wrench into Sham's/Shaft's stomach, but in the man's terms - Graham is someone Sham both likes and dislikes.

Hearing Graham's voice in the hallway, Sham gulps down the rest of his tea and repeats his request that Gustav keeps the information exchange between them a secret from Huey. With that, Sham/Shaft opens the door and joins the others in flight.

In the ensuing quiet, Gustav asks Carol if she is confused, given that she's just been exposed to entirely new information (a lot of it). Sympathizing with her plight, he drinks a cup of newly-brewed tea and says that if there is anything she wants to ask, she may go ahead and ask it. Flustered, Carol asks if it is really alright for him to encourage robbery. Gustav informs her that the man in the cabin next door is called Mr. Turner and that in the past, he wheedled out of paying full price for data with the claim that he could not trust Gustav's information. He then proceeded to use that information to make a great deal of profit. As illegal as it might be, Gustav feels that the robber is justified. And furthermore -- that it serves Turner right.

Carol thinks that's somewhat of an abuse of power. They hear "vulgar yelling" from next door, and Carol quickly changes the subject by asking if Gustav would have been able to beat Graham if Graham became angry with him. Gustav's answer is frank: had he charged the two of them at full strength...well, setting himself aside, Carol would not have made it out alive. Gustav specializes in mental work, so he typically leaves this sort of thing to more capable hands.

The conversation derails, and Carol returns to looking at the rainbow outside their window. The moment the rainbow fades and the urban high-rises appear in the distance, Carol asks Gustav what will happen in Chicago. Gustav can only wonder. Not even their organization can gather information on events that have yet to occur. Thinking and theorizing is all they can do. He reminds Carol that the most accurate way to gather information is with their own two eyes, and that is their duty. He says that he expects great things from her. ...From her eyes, her camera, and her talents.

Once in Chicago, Gustav and Carol stay the night at the Gunslack Hotel. They have ham and eggs for breakfast, and the waiter (another vessel of Sham's) pours the hotel's 'special' bitter black coffee for Carol. She manages to finish it all.

(Rest of 1934 to added)

Trivia

 * "St. Germain" is a pseudonym that he has borrowed from "the famous immortal alchemist and peerless information broker" the Count of St. Germain. His real surname is unknown.
 * According to his character sheet, he has an eidetic memory. This little tidbit is not brought up in the novels.