a thief (part two)

[springlamb]

[It's a bright and sunny afternoon on the 16th, and the town has become increasingly concerned over the items disappearing all over the place! In fact, it seems like things have just gotten worse over the last week or so; there's talk of entire dish sets going missing, or every single one of someone's coats. It's not just the animals at this point, though speaking of animals...

Lamb is currently consoling a poor man who seems to have lost not only his cart - with all of his wares, at that - but his horse along with it!]


(OOC: As always, you are not required to interact with Lamb or any NPCs, so don't feel you have to! You can simply use this as a sign that you can have larger items disappear. Some more observant characters may find a faint sheen of fairy dust at one crime scene, or perhaps a muddy footprint or three at another. Whoever's behind all this is getting a little more sloppy the bigger their target items get.)

Comments

Open

[emperorofselfdestruction]

[Starscream, in a twist that probably shocks absolutely nobody, still doesn't care much about the rash of thievery in Märchen, simply because he has literally nothing for anyone to steal. Well, he has the lantern, but he'd probably just give the thing away if he thought he could.]

[Now, if you're particularly observant and hanging about the marketplace today, you may spot Starscream standing around, looking furtively about the area. He keeps shooting glances at an apothecary stall and its wares, with a speculative gleam in his eyes. Surely a fine, upstanding Decepticon like himself isn't up to something?]

[awizardidit]

[Of course he isn't. Harry, who has been working on the case, approaches Starscream as soon as he sees him around.]

Commander! How nice to see you around!

[emperorofselfdestruction]

[At the sound of Harry's voice, Starscream's wings jerk up and he whirls around to face him. He relaxes slightly after seeing it's just Harry.]

Human-! Er, Harry, wasn't it? What brings you here?

[awizardidit]

The mystery, of course! I'm a private detective. It's impossible to keep my nose out of things.

And you? Do you want to help too?

[emperorofselfdestruction]

The what? Oh, you mean the thefts.

[He waves a hand, dismissively.]

I'd be wasting my time. I don't have anything worth stealing in this confounded place.

[awizardidit]

What about the satisfaction of helping others? You scratch my back and I scratch yours. Er, in a strictly metaphorical fashion, of course.

[With those claws Starscream has, Harry shudders to think how his back would end after a scratching session.]

[emperorofselfdestruction]

[Grumbles:]

You sound like an Auto-

[Then the metaphor piques his interest.]

-Oh. So you would be willing to do me a favor in return for my aid?

[His claws are unpleasant enough to fellow Cybertronians, let alone humans.]

[awizardidit]

[Harry raises an eyebrow. He was certain he didn't sound like a caar, which meant...

... Ohoho! Had he been called an Autobot? He'll treasure that compliment forever.]

That's the idea. And maybe not only me, but also the rightful owners of the stolen property.

[emperorofselfdestruction]

I suppose it wouldn't hurt to have the natives in my debt...

[And it's not like he has much else to do besides dick around being a homeless robot with a turnip.]

[He strokes his chin thoughtfully, then narrows his eyes at Harry.]

Do you have any money on you?

[awizardidit]

[Harry raises an eyebrow but doesn't make any comments about those debts. He could only hope this wouldn't backfire on Starscream.]

Maybe I do.

[emperorofselfdestruction]

[Please. Since when do Starscream's brilliant plans ever backfire?]

[At the ambiguous response, Starscream scowls.]

Either you do or you don't! This is a matter of life and death, human!

[awizardidit]

Fine, fine. What do you need?

[emperorofselfdestruction]

[Starscream gestures at the apothecary stall, pointing at large glass jars filled with blue liquid.]

My species requires energon to function. Fortunately it seems this planet has a supply of it, but I've only been able to find it being sold in liquid format by humans. And I lack any form of the local currency.

[In other words, buy me dinner, I'm a hungry hobo.]

[awizardidit]

[Harry sighs inwardly. He can't, in good conscience, leave Starscream starve when he can help.]

Fine. I owe you a favor, after all.

[Without any other word, Harry walks into the apothecary to buy the Energon, which he brings promptly to the hungry Cybertronian.]

There you go.

[emperorofselfdestruction]

[Starscream makes a mumbly sound and peers at the jar. Even after whinging about it, he can't help but be a tad apprehensive about where it comes from... but he knows Energon when he sees it, and frag if he isn't low on fuel. So he unscrews the lid and lifts it to his mouth, gulping down a few mouthfuls.]

[It slides into his fuel receptors, leaving a pleasant aftertaste as it goes. Warmth begins to suffuse him and he slumps a little, relaxing as the Energon hits his systems. He even lets out a light sigh.]

Ahhh... You were saying something about an investigation?