Lost and found

[Invader]

The afternoon was quiet, way to quiet and Invader was out on a walk. For the past few nights she had had dreams of a harbor, every time the sound of distant waves echoed in her mind. During the past few hours she had researched harbors in the area, and looked at pictures of them. Eventually she found the one she was looking for, and soon was on her way to it. As she walked along she caught, the sound of scrambling feet and someone then ran into her. Shortly thereafter a large, old book was thrust into her hands as the other person got to their feet and ran off. Concerned Kristine ducked into a nearby cafe, and settled into a corner of it. Outside the lone figure continued running while two other people were hot on their heels.

 

[Flag]

A harbor was an atrocious place to store paper goods and yet here he was, literally chasing down a lead that had nabbed a prized book from a client’s museum. The man in front of him was heavier set, but shorter and carried himself low to the ground as he ran, making it difficult to catch up. Whenever Flag got close to tackling him, he would dart this way or that and gain just enough ground to be perpetually out of reach.

In one particular instance, he hopped a deceptively large puddle and dashed out into the street. Flag’s momentum carried him into the slick and slammed him against the wall of a building at the end of the narrow alley. Ignoring the pain in his shoulder, he rebounded and tore after the rival book thief, dodging clusters of people as best as he could. When he saw the distance between him and his prey growing, he chanced sharing the road with the cars, which allowed him to gain much more speed.

He had chased this purloiner and book halfway around the world and wasn’t about to lose them again.

 

[Neb]

Kidman was wandering about when she saw a silver hair on the ground. She picked it up, her heart skipping a beat. She had seen so many before, but this one was different. She held it up to the UV light on her key fob and it sparkled like iridescent cellophane.

"He's back!"

The woman was bored and curious as to what her fellow gray was up to, but actually tracking him would be a little harder.

"Good thing I can just call him." She said as she tapped an icon of a cranky face on her phone. "Whether he picks up is another matter."

 

[Invader]

Kristine found the book to be rather large, and old looking. Perhaps this was a real antique book, tough she wondered if it had been stolen. On the cover of it were several gems that seemed fake, but loose. Picking at them, she found they could be removed, and proceeded to polish them. On a whim she decided to place them in her pocket, and kept a blue one out for fun. Opening the book it was very dusty, and full of various diagrams, and what appeared to be writing of some sort. Placing the clear blue stone on a page it revealed hidden things, that intrigued her. Looking around she found a set of stairs to wander up, and soon found herself on a balcony of sorts. There was a second set of stairs that led to a dock of sorts, she descended them and sat down on a stone terrace. From out of the book fell, a clump of pages, and some sort of envelope. Kristine proceeded to stuff them in her bag, and continued to leaf though the book.

 

[Flag]

Flag caught up with the man several blocks later, when the moron took a wrong turn down a dead end. The man tried to defend himself by tackling the Sivoan when he rounded the building, but Flag grabbed him by the arm and introduced the man’s face to a telephone pole – knocking him unconscious instantly. He kicked the man once for good measure and then relieved him of his backpack, only to find that it was empty.

“Oh , sunnova…” The man had ditched the book. What kind of idiot abandons an antique book like that?!

Flag kicked the man again and began backtracking the way that they had come. He kept an eye out for anything that would make for a convenient place to stash such a thing and only found trash cans. It better not be in one of those. After walking back as far as the alley he bruised his shoulder in, he stopped. He had had a line of sight on the other thief up to this point and knew that the book would not be found in the alley ways.

Turning around, he walked slowly along the row of harbor shops, stopping to casually glance in each trash and recycling bin that he passed. About half an hour had passed and stopped in front of a coffee shop. I give up.

Stretching to relieve the crick forming in his neck, he happened to look up and saw a young girl on a balcony, holding a blue stone over a very old looking tome. “Hey you with the book! That’s not yours!”

 

[Invader]

Upon hearing someone Kristine, proceeded to peer over the balcony. Below them was someone with silver hair, and they had a certain something about them that made her a bit nervous. Not liking the tone, she vanished down a back stair and made their way to an over look by the harbor. Using the amulet of names she proceeded to teleport her bag back to headquarters. Doing that though, left her stunned momentarily and very disoriented causing her to walk unsteadily. Eventually she had to sit down, and fond herself draped over a stone wall by a bay of sorts. Somehow she was still carrying the book with them, and could not get her hands to let it go. No matter how she urged herself, it was as though her hands were locked by a spell of sorts.

 

[Neb]

As usual, Flag was not answering.

"Sigh.... Guess I'll test this thing out then." Kidman said as she took out an amulet and connected it to her phone. It was covered in runes and spiraling lines, and embedded within was another silver hair. The range on her experimental Flag-tracker was very limited, but if he was indeed in town, she might have a shot.

Kidman held the thing aloft as she wandered through the seaside town, until she passed a small person hanging over a flood barrier.

"Ahoy mate, you drunk?"

 

[Flag]

When the girl ran inside, he made his way around the building - following the architecture as best as he could. He was a little concerned when the book had left his sight again, but its current claimant didn’t seem like the type to warrant unnecessary confrontations.

Flag found the girl propped up against the pedestrian barrier for the sea wall and was a bit startled by the site. The book was gone and she seemed a bit distressed. Based on the way that his day had gone so far, he assumed that the moron from earlier had attacked her and reclaimed his prize. He stepped forward to approach the girl when a familiar voice cut through the air.

"Ahoy mate, you drunk?"

He rolled his eyes and casually made his way over to the two girls. “I doubt it.”

 

[Invader]

Hearing a voice Kristine got up, only to loose her balance and nearly plunge into the water. Scrambling she now had a death grip on the wall, with the book in her other hand. Dropping the book, she scrambled to the top of the wall and laid down. She knew that voice from somewhere, but could not quite place the name right now. Looking up she saw two silver haired people.

"Hello....there....do...I know......you..from... somewhere?" Kristine spoke in a dazed voice.

 

[Neb]

"Jeeze, mate!" Kidman said as she helped pull the little person back onto the dry side of the wall. Then she looked up at the menacing figure to her left and she broke into a smile. The man could be the devil himself, but she loved him all the same.

"Flag! What are you doing here-?" Then book on the ground caught her eye. "Nevermind." She said as she went to pick it up. "What's this then?"

 

[Flag]

"Not yours," he nodded towards the girl "and not hers either." The Sivoan stated bluntly as held his hand out for the book.

 

[Invader]

"What do you need the book for, and who are you?" Kristine asked boldly. "You are not of this world are you?"