Possession

[Ozymandias]

It is a morning like any other in the halls of The Mighty Pen Keep. The Sun pierces the ever present clouds just enough to brighten most of its lands a bit and send glittering rays of light in many a window. In the observatory Balladore has just dozed off after sitting up all night writing (for the second night in a row). Page after page of hasty scrawl piled around him like a small bunker flutters slightly in a gentle breeze as, slumped

over under his wool blanket, the haggard druid snores softly, goose quill still clutched tightly in his hand.

 

Wyvern strolls the halls with a little extra spring in his step, whistling a merry tune (which came out as a heavily salivated hiss, unfortunately- Wyverns cannot whistle.). He'd just found a Terra centennial geld

piece stuck in his easy chair twenty minutes ago- a piece worth easily a thousand geld. There are only one hundred centennial pieces believed to be left in existence, oddly enough.

 

In The Manor of Tounges, Ozymandias, Peredhil, and the hostess, Lady Celes Crusader herself, enjoy a quiet morning cuppa before the morning rush on the cafe: Ozymandias taking the occasional swig of his Irish coffee, Peredhil savoring the aroma of a fine Arabian blend he has decided to try, and Lady Celes sipping lightly at a piping hot cup of tiramisu blend as they all watch Peredhil's sons sparring boisterously on the lawn.

 

Yui-chan slips in and out of the trees as softly as the wind. As she spies the unusually gay Elven boys, she pauses for a moment, allowing herself a small smile, then it is back to business as her eyes scan the skies

to reclaim the hawk she's been tracking.

 

The Pen's hawk in residence, Andrea, and her lover William sit in their room in utter bliss. Andrea has just force fed her darling his fiftieth grenade in a row in a rather gory match of ArchQuake III. Grinning diabolically,

she moves in for the kill, cranking up the volume on her headset as it pipes Queen's "Killer Queen" in her ears with gusto. Grinning ruefully, William likewise turns up his headset's volume on Queen's "Who Wants to Live

Forever?"

 

On the roof, Gyrfalcon has decided to take advantage of the summery weather and is praticing his forms with a measured concentration that almost contradicts his awesome speed. The air itself seems to visibly part with every stroke of his katana. He too wears a blissful, if slightly predatory smile.

 

Bhurin swoops by over his head, making lazy circles, simply enjoying the sun on his face and being alive.

 

Jakob walks into Lady Celes' cafe and stops short. Eyeing all three mages with a cold gaze, he says, very, very quietly, "Where.

Is.

My.

Staff."

 

Just then, a scream rings out of Wyvern's treasury. William looks

around frantically, unable to find his guitars. ANY of them. After looking many places throughout the vast halls of the keep and finding neither mage nor beast, Tzimfemme strides very calmly to the center of the Pen's lands, takes a deep breath and shrieks, "WHERE'S MINTA???" The psychic shockwave from her telepathic cry nearly knocks many mages and servants out of chairs or off of their feet. Soon the Pen is Mightier than the Sword is joined as one in demanding where their posessions or friends have gone.

[Falcon2001]

William tore off his headphones and looked around in horror. Not only were his guitars gone, but so was his weaponry collection, and that picture of him and Andrea.

He whirled around to find Andrea staring at him puzzledly. "Will, whatever is the...oh my god! The music! Our picture!" She was absolutely livid.

"Someone. Is. Going. To. PAY!" she screamed, her features absolutely red.

"Did I ever tell you you're cute when you're angry, dear?" said Will.

Andrea smiled.

[Guest Minta Rose]

WHAP! WHAP! WHAP!

 

Tzimfemme drummed her flail against the door to Rydia's room, not stopping until the mumbled "go 'way" upgraded to "ok ok ok". She rested the flail on her shoulder once the door cracked open and Rydia peeked out, her hair casually gathered into a large green ponytail. "Whazgoin'on," she yawned, and blinked twice.

 

"Minta's missing."

 

Rydia forced the thought through her head and concluded, "She does that all the time. Runs away for a bit and worries us all and then comes back a few days later. . . ."

 

"Usually, yes," Tzimfemme replied. "But this time, she's not the only thing missing. There's a tremendous ruckus all over the keep--"

 

She jabbed a finger at the floor, which rumbled slightly with shockwaves (Wyvern, Damienn, Knight, and Belizean, taking the violent approach to lost-and-found), then pointed her thumb towards the musicians' area of the Pen (deathly quiet), then gestured like a head-waiter to the key of Arawn's door as it floated past, desperately seeking its keyhole.

 

"--so I'd guessed she's not the only thing missing. We're meeting in Minta's room to trace her." Tzimfemme pulled the door shut with surprising delicacy and turned on her heel while Rydia gratefully returned to her hammock.

 

********

[Guest Signe Green]

Signe wanders by Tzimfemme, pale as a ghost, a look of horror frozen on her face. "the corsets, the stockings, the silk and satin and leather and lace, the whips and chains, my supply of extra collars! My leashes and slavetreats and- it's gone.... all gone...."

[Lady Celes Crusader]

Celes gets up on her feets and dusts her butt off. She notice the frantic activities and panic over here and there. She then started to worry about her beloved pets. She then calls out her chef. The lady chef, who's name is Candice, walks out of the kitchen and her eyes widens when she sees the chaos around here.

 

"Candice," started the Lady, "I need you to check with Betty if there's anything missing in the Cafe because there's a thief out there! As for me, I'll be checking if anything is missing."

 

She didn't even wait for an answer from Candice that the Frenchie rushes up toward her quarters. When she arrives, she gasped in horror. Her quarters had been ransack, as if a fight occured.

 

Did the thief was really after my cats?

 

She replaces some of her stuffs and noticed that he wasn't interested toward her valuable. She calls out her cats but there's no answer, she then looks under her bed and sees Carbone, her shy female cat, totally terrorized. She then starts to look out for her more social one... Cambronne. She calls out his name several time, but no answer. She looks about everywhere, but no signs of him. She even shakes the box of meat candies that both cats loves, only Carbone responded. Celes kneels on the ground and starts to cry, realizing that someone tooked her cat away and tried to get his dirty hands on Carbone as well but, thanks to her shyness, avoided the same fate that Cambronne is enduring.

 

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!", she starts to shout, "Where's my cat!!!! Il est où c't'o**** d'enfant de ******!!!"

 

She continues to cries in an hysterical rage while screaming all kind of insulting profanities aimed at the thief,

[Ozymandias]

Lady Celes' screams echo through the manor, and the raised voices across the land seem to echo from everywhere. Jakob is taken aback by the cacophony of anger and anguish, his own troubles momentarily forgotten. Ozymandias and Peredhil lock eyes, nod to one another, and each leaps out of his chair at a run, Ozymandias flying outside and Peredhil racing upstairs to Lady Celes. Regaining himself, Jakob takes off after Peredhil.

[Gyrfalcon]

Gyr searched through his quarters, growing more frantic by the second. Where was it? Where *was* it?

 

Slowly, he stopped and looked around his room, slightly messy as it always was, but not enough so that he would lose his amulet amid the clutter. He began to look around more carefully, a dread certainy growing...

 

Gyrfalcon nodded slowly as he completed his search. As he had thought, someone had been into his room, and had moved everything, looking for valuables. The thief had been good, and had replaced everything nearly exactly... but only nearly. A shirt that had been laid at just less then a perfect angle was at that angle, a picture was slightly off-center where before it had been centered, his collection of small gemstones, curiously untouched, but they had been rearranged, where before they had been set in a rainbow pattern.

 

The thief had obviously been looking for something special to Gyrfalcon... and had found it.

 

Gyrfalcon very calmly dressed, having been in the shower (thus why his amulet had not been around his neck). Very calmly, he hid his knives around his person, and slung his katana over his shoulder. Whistling, he left his room.

 

The thief was *so* going to pay.

[Gwaihir]

Gwaihir hears the racket, word that there's a thief around the pen

Great!, I'd better look around my belongings!

It takes a very short glance to see that the painting entitled School of Athens (Rapheal) is gone. Gwaihir glares. As long as...

Gwaihir checks one of the drawers in hisdesk quickly.

Gwaihir stops

DontyelldontyelldontyelldontyellDontyelldontyelldontyelldontyellDontyelldontyell

dontyelldontyellDontyell Gwai bites his lip to control himself. The thief had taken her picture. It had been a Long time since she'd left this earth, and Gwaihir had resigned himself to the loss of a miracle. Gwaihir was an elf who often kept his sorrows, and even tears to himself, none of his friends here had even heard of her.

The thief can't have taken her painting because he knew her, it must have been because he thought it was valuable.

Walking out find out what's going on, Gwaihir laughs dryly to himself

Whoever the thief is, he must have, among other things, a good taste in art.

[Guest excedrin]

*slams thru the wall at full speed, looking around wildly*

 

"somebody...has...taken...my...NyQuil...i...need...the...giant...q...give...me...

my...giant...q..........!!!!!!!"

 

edited to fit on the miserly-width monitor

[Falcon2001]

William looked around, but (due to the fact they spent most of their time alone) he was in nothing more than a robe and underclothes. Hunting a thief took more...impressive clothing. Waving a hand, he quickly summoned a typical outfit.

 

Black pants fit loosely and were tied off at the ankles and waist with silver cord. A black shirt provided warmth, and had the falcon and eye symbol of his embroidered in silver over his heart. He put on his bluescale cape over that and looped a long leather strap, about nine feet long, around his waist several times, serving as a belt. His sword rested loosely in his bluescale scabbard, and when he drew it out an inch, it fell back into place with a satisfying click.

 

Turning, he grabbed his leather boots and pulled them on. Looking up at the mirror, he smiled slightly and brushed an errant lock of hair out his face. He smiled, but his eyes were cold and his manner was severe. Finally he picked up two dragonhide gloves. Each finger ended in a claw, and the scales were a shimmering shade of blue. Pulling them on, he flexed his fingers a few times, then remembered something.

 

Turning toward Andrea's closet, he muttered something and the tossed some powder at it. Nothing happened, but Will seemed satisfied. Walking out the door and into the kitchen, he watched Andrea run around in her underclothes searching for clothing. Laughing silently to himself, he grabbed an apple and walked out of the kitchen. Before he walked out the door, he turned.

 

"Andrea, love?"

 

"Yes, dear?" she replied, sounding slightly exasperated.

 

"I'm going to go out and look for that thief...meet me in the library when you get dressed, okay?"

 

"Sure, Will."

 

He walked out the door and broke into chuckles. That enchantment he laid on her closet would last at least five hours, plenty of time.

 

His smile slipped into something more sinister then.

 

But when he got his hands on the thief, he and Andrea were going to have a very fun time of it.

[Ozymandias]

The Squirrel Duo scampered along the Keep's halls at that same moment, not a care in the world (due in no small part to their having outdistanced Ozymandias' bodyguard to their satisfaction). They slowed to an exhausted halt. Throwing themselves against a door, Simon looked at Lewis as both gasped for air, tounges lolling out of their mouths.

 

"Some...work- ehhh-out, eh...Lewis?"

 

"I'll say.", replied Lewis, flopping onto his back. "Who...knew...he'd...have...a...spooned...Dominion watching the door?"*

 

"Untrusting sort, that one," managed Simon as he put paws on knees and breathed slowly. Suddenly, realization dawned. "Say, Lewis?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"Do you know what Deja vu is?"

 

"Um. The sensation you are doing something you have done befo-" Lewis was cut off abruptly as the most unearthly, bloodcurdling shriek they'd ever heard erupted from the door behind them, followed shortly thereafter by what felt like a major earthquake and the door catapulting open.

 

"MOTHER FORKING*, " they chorused before being slammed into the wall. Seconds later, Simon regained consciousness just in time to see Wyvern's running form careen around a corner. Lewis groaned. "We're getting in a rut," he muttered.

 

"The old Alligator's crafty, that's for sure," grunted Simon through his headache.

 

 

Moments earlier, Wyvern had successfully completed his five hundred and fifty-nith complete budget inventory and come to the inescapable conclusion that he was down 543 million geld from yesterday- exactly half of his lives savings from Terra. Gone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Stephen, Ozymandias' Guardian Angel, colocates quite often, and on spying the Squirrel Duo heading for Ozymandias' quarters, had decided to give the little miscreants a good scare. As preventative, of course.

[Guest Morganex]

Morgane leaves her room still in her pink Jammies. Sleepily she rubs her eyes dragging a bedraggled Teddy behind her.

 

*YAWN*

"What's all this noise?? Do u know Mr. Teddy?....Mr. Teddy????

MR. TEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

EEEEEEEEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

DDDYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY

YY!!!!!!"

 

With a mighty heave Morgane throws the fake Teddy into a corner and collapses into a heap of stormy weeping.

 

After a while the screams bangs and explotion in the pen keep filter into her grief stricken mind.

 

"All right who took Mr. Teddy!!"

 

With a fierce frown Morgane pads barefoot to the nearest noise.

 

('Teddy' exclamation indented in order to ease those with more sensitive eyes)

[Guest Lord Seth Exodus]

Seth Exodus blindly staggers through the halls of the Pen’s keep, bumping into tables, chairs, and the odd wall. He squints as a fuzzy figure approaches him. “I say, whomever you are, I don’t suppose you have seen my spectacles around? They’re just simple silver wire-framed glasses,” he reaches towards the large figure, only to grasp hold of a wing. “Bhurin! Is that you? Can you help me out?”

Bhurin just gives a loud sigh, and gingerly takes the glasses from atop Seth’s head, and places them back on his face. “ A little absent minded today, my friend?” asks Bhurin.

“Oh I lose the blasted things all the time; why do you ask?” Bhurin just smiles, and points to Seth’s waistcoat; which is facing the opposite way of its wearer. “Oh,” Seth says blushing. “Well, considering I got dressed without my specs. I think I did rather well,” he says, readjusting his coat. “Though, I was sure I had put on some underwear this morning.” Seth reaches for his handkerchief and blows his nose on a pair of folded, black boxer-briefs. “Oh my!” He quickly pockets them, and looks around to see if any saw.

Bhurin just stands there shaking his head and chuckling. “I don’t blame you, though. Everyone is at their wits end; what with this thief around, and all.”

Seth stares up at his friend blankly. “Thief. There’s a thief around? How horrible. I must go and see what sort of kuffle is up,” Seth says as he turns to leave his friend; who stands baffled for a moment. “Kuffle?” Bhurin thinks to himself. He just shakes his head and walks off down the hall.

 

Seth pushes through the doors of the tavern, only to find a great roar of agitated people. Screams of “THIEF!!” and “BLOODY MURDER!!!” fill the air. Just as Seth tries to grab the attention of Wyvren, who speeds past mutter, “Gone, gone, all gone. Beautiful geld, all gone,” he is hit with the realization he left his cane in his room. He rushes back through the doors, and to his tower. Moments later the halls thunder with the echo of Seth’s leather shoes pounding the stone floors. The doors of the tavern crash open and a pale, yet murderously angry Seth Exodus darkens the doorway. In his right hand, where normally was held his cane, glistened a silver pistol, which he waved menacingly. “ SOMEONE’S GOING TO DIE!” he proclaims. “No one messes with my cane, no one!”

[Lady Celes Crusader]

From the first floor of the Manor, Celes is totally enraged. Someone had kidnapped her cat Cambronne, terrorized her female feline, which she carries along in her arms, her quarters on the first floor had been ransaked and her Café is upside down thank's to the upset that wretched thief had cause.

 

While she was rushing toward her Café, her cheecks still wet by tears, Peredhil and Jakob followed her and tried to calm her down.

 

"My dear Celes," started Peredhil, "please, try to calm down. I can sense your poor Carbone is freezing out of terror and you are..."

 

"Me calming down?", interrupted rudely Celes, "As you had noticed, choas is reign in my café, my quarters are upside down, one of my pets is missing and the other had been traumatized and you ask me to calm down?"

 

"Errrrrrr....", Jakob started, "He does have a point. I think that the fact that one of your cat had been kidnapped can be a not so bad thing."

 

The Frenchie throws one of those killers' gaze at Jakob, who manage to keep his relatively calm composure.

 

"I mean", continues the wise mage, "If you can sense your cat's presence, perhaps that it will lead to the thief."

 

In the meantime, Candice rushes over the Café owner with a pale face.

 

"Madame", the chef starts sobbing, "The Pen works, the poem, even the little snowball story, they are all gone."

 

Celes dropped Carbone on the ground and rushes toward the billboard. It had been emptied. The Frenchie touches the board at first, but as soon as she realizes that the nightmare is true, she starts to bang it and to cry hysterically.

 

"WHERE ARE THESE!!!!", she starts to yell, "GIVE ME MY CAT BACK! GIVE OUR WORKS BACK! YOU SHALL PAY FOR THIS YOU *BIP*. JE VAIS T'EN *BIP* UNE!"

 

While Celes continues to cries out all sort of profanities in both English and French, Peredhil walks in with Celes' cat in his arm and feels desolated for her.

 

"He had been way to far!", he started, "I think we should catch this thief as soon as possible before he causes anymore damage."

[Wyvern]

Wyvern sighs dismally, searching his last valid geld hiding place (within the stuffing of his personal Jechum shaped punching bag) and finding not a single geld... Despite Wyv's initial reactions of dismay and anger, he was now much calmer and thinking silently to himself. This certainly wasn't the first time he'd lost all his geld... The theif would pay though... oh yes... there was no denying that... And Wyvern would get back his treasury, that was for sure...

 

Wyvern's thoughts are suddenly interrupted as there is an aggravated tap on his shoulder. The overgrown lizard turns only to find himself faced with several furious looking Pen members...

 

"Alright Wyvern!" exclaims Falcon, cracking his knuckles "Where are my music instruments?!!"

 

"And my NyQuil?!!!!!!" shouts Excederin franticly.

 

"And my TEDDY?!!!" sobs Morgane.

 

"And Minta?!!" yells Tzimfemme, pausing for a moment and murmuring "Although it is much calmer without her around..." before being nudged by Rosemary to wisely keep quiet.

 

"What are you guys talking about?" asks Wyvern perfectly calmly and innocently "I haven't stole anything..."

 

"Suuuuuuuuuurrrrrrreeeee..." growls Gyrfalcon "You expect us to believe that you haven't stole our stuff like you always do?"

 

"Even when you're acting so calmly?!" adds a furious Seth Exodus "And why don't YOU have anything stolen, Mr. Wyvern?"

 

"That's not true!" responds Wyvern quickly "I-"

 

Lady Celes Crusader suddenly gasps, staring at something Wyvern is clutching in his left hand. "Then how do you explain that?!!!!!" she cries, pointing to the French sandwich that Wyvern currently holds. Wyv's face goes blank.

 

"What's wrong with this...?" mutters Wyv, looking at the sandwich and taking a bite out of it "It's delicious..."

 

"It's a sandwich from my cafe!!!" screams Celes "You took it from there, along with my other stuff!!!"

 

"Wait, I didn't..."

 

"Get him!!!" roar Simon and Lewis, charging at the overgrown lizard followed by all the other aggravated Pen members. Wyvern is quickly submerged in an ocean of furious faces and groping hands.

 

Wyv is violently turned upside down by the angry mob and stripped of his possessions. When they find he has nothing they're looking for, they suddenly pause and let him go.

 

"I told you..." grumbles a battered and beaten Wyvern from the floor "I'm not the theif for once... I've had my savings stolen too!"

[Yui-chan]

"Come, now. Look at us." The familiar voice comes from the doorway through which the mob entered, smooth and calming. "We cannot waste our energy pointing fingers, my friends, or we will never manage to catch the true thief."

 

They turn en masse (except for poor Wyvern, who lays groaning on the ground) to behold a rather unusual sight. Yui's leaning against the doorframe, her face darkened by a scowl, her arms folded across her chest. Celes blinks. Peredhil gawks. Jechum raises a brow. Simon puts a paw under Lewis' jaw and snaps it shut.

 

She stands there in a white tunic and loose breeches, over which a sleeveless white vest lays, its hem skimming the backs of her calves. The collar and the two halves of the front seam are ringed with silver and green leaves, embroidered in a simple, but flowing pattern. It's certainly quality clothing from the dyed white leather of her calf-high boots to the green ribbon that closes the vest loosely, but what makes them stare is what she lacks.

 

The ever-present ebon cloak in no where in sight.

 

When the moment has stretched, her frown deepens, and she straightens from the doorway, gesturing impatiently. "Yes, yes. I do have clothes on under the cloak at all times, you know." She walks into the room, continuing to speak almost to herself. "This thief has stolen Minta, so he cannot possibly be the diminuitive size of an imp, correct?"

 

Gyrfalcon nods, his expression going thoughtful. "Yes, it certainly seems that way."

 

Tzimfemme mumbles to herself. "To get ahold of Minta and keep ahold, he'd have to be an octopuss." Rosemary elbows her in the side, again, scowling, and she falls silent.

 

Yui starts pacing in the narrow space, glancing up as Wyvern gets to his feet and starts dusting himself off. "We need clues. Evidence. We need to know where to start looking. I have already searched the trees around where this thief stole my cloak, yet I found no tracks in the grass other than my own and no sign of anyone having been in the limbs."

 

She stops and glances up at the assembly. "I think we would do well if everyone were to look for any clues they could find in their quarters. I intend to search the grounds for any sign of an intruder."

 

Many of the Pen members nod in agreement. Wyvern pales to a fascinating shade of pink at the thought of searching through the dangerous clutter of his office and quickly decides to delegate the job to Melba. Seth slips the pistol into his pocket, breathing deeply in an attempt to control himself. Morgane bounces, eager to be off.

 

"Good. Keep your eyes open, my friends. We don't even know if our thief is dangerous or not, so be careful." With that, Yui bows slightly and turns on her heel, hurrying out the door. (Yes, you read that right. She just exited through a door for once.)

 

The whole group stands still for a moment, as if still stunned, until Wyvern waves his arms in the air and shouts, " Well, what are we waiting for?! We've got my geld to find!"

 

Every eye in the room is suddenly glaring at him, and the almost-dragon realizes what he said. He grins sheepishly and backs towards the door. "And everyone else's missing stuff, too, of course. Hehe. Um... yeah, bye." And he turns and runs out the door before anyone gets any more violent ideas.

[Jakob]

Inwardly cringing at Lady Celes Crusader's venomous stare, Jakob forcefully maintains his composure. Strangely, he finds it harder to preserve his usual stoic countanance.

 

"Wyvern is right. We shouldn't just stand around and play with our belly lint. Wait... Did I just say belly lint?

 

He pauses to reflect on ihs choice of metaphors and begins to giggle...

 

Ozymandias, Peredhil, and Gyrfalcon all look at Jakob with a sense of foreboding.

 

"That's it," Gyrfalcon whispers to the others.. "He's losing it. That staff was the center of his stability."

 

Jakob giggles a little more then looks around...

 

"I'll be okay. Really, I will..."

 

He gently pats the half-elf on the head. Appearing to notice the strangely shaped ears for the first time, he wonders at the slightly pointed tips...

 

"Wow. Has anyone ever told you that those look just like Mr. Spock's ears?"

 

Suddenly distracted, Jakob turns towards the Squirrel Duo and gasps in delight...

 

"Awwww... Lookee at the cute little squirrels. Here ya go little fellas."

 

From his robes, Jakob pulls what's left of his lunch (a fragment of what can only be a liver and onion sandwich on wheat bread smeared liberally with lox) and breaks off little pieces for the Duo. Both of whom are staring at the proffered food and beginning to turn slightly green in the face.

 

"Holy Spit!" Simon breathes...

 

"IfhecomesanycloserImgonnabitehim. IfhecomesanycloserImgonnabitehim." chants Lewis.

 

"RUN!" they both scream in unison.

 

"My god," mutters Ozymandias. "The bastard has stolen Jakob's sanity."

 

"Right, not a problem." Tzimfemme calmly pulls a large white garment from her ever-present bag of tricks and moves towards Jakob.

 

"Ozymandias, Gyrfalcon, Jechum. Hold him while i get this on him..."

 

Quickly, the three gently restrain Jakob. He begins to pull away from the helping hands of his brethren.

 

"They are hungry. Let me go. I just wanna feed the cute little fellas. Did you know I can rub my belly and pat my head at the same time? No, wait. Or was that, pat my belly and rub my head?"

 

While pondering his latest flash of insight, Tzimfemme quickly fastens the straitjacket around Jakob.

 

"Okay, that should hold him. Jechum, you and Peredhil put him somewhere he can stay out of trouble. Take him to my room if you have to. Just keep him away from the large cage in the back. Kendricke is still in there..."

[Orlan]

Lady Celes Crusader posted,

 

Celes sits down on her chair, her cat Carbonne seated on the one one next to her mistress, and stares blankly.

 

Yui is right. There's no use to pin-point each other. But everyone had lost something. Something... special to them.

 

Then life strucks back into her eyes, giving her a new energy and she goes to Yui.

 

"Yui! The main clue can be found in what the thief robbed!", she started, "Minta had been kidnapped from Tzimfemme and Rosemary, Jakob's staff and sanity, Signe's lingerie and leathery gear, Will and Andrea's musical instuments, etc. The thief had stolen to each of us something that we're all hold dear to us!"

 

She pauses and then continues her speech, this time, she's adressing to the whole audience in the café.

 

"The thief could have easily robbed my geld or my sage stones", she claims, "he came directly for my cats instead. The thief must know anyone of us very well and he must be a pretty mean bastard since he's theft are aimed to hurt us deeply by stealing what was special to us!"

 

Yui gazes calmly at the Frenchie, knowing that it must be a burden for her since both her pets and writing had been aimed. Although Celes try to pull herself together, it was clear that she can't think straight right now even if what she'd just said makes sense.

 

"Celes", said Yui, "What you had just said is probably a good way to start our searches. But I strongly suggest to rest because you're all shaked up by these events."

 

The Lady nodded she walks for her cat and grabs Carbone gently and heads for her quarters upstairs

Orlan posted,

 

High atop the highest tower (I could easily make that longer and 'higher' you know), Orlan, Sexy Sexy Man, Elder of Bards and all things Chocolate, lies on the roof, bathing in the sun. His mirrored TMoT Shades (only $78.95, kids! Bug Mom and Dad today!) shine in the blistering sun. Orlan lies contented, nearly napping, when suddenly there comes a tapping....tapping on the roof next to him. It's Wyvern, the almost dragon-ish dragonite Elder. Wyvern begins speaking quickly.

 

"Orlan! Orlanorlanorlanorlanorlan! We gott move quick! You see we....I mean there was a....and the thing is with....but you have to understand....and the thing with the guy....but you have to help....."

 

Orlan's head bobs up and down while Wyvern goes off on his triade.

 

"I know that *I'M* not the criminal....but everyone else thinks its me and I don't know, but I got stuff stolen too and then they came after me and where like ROWR! and jumped over me and started beating me and up and Yui came back and said some things while I wasn't paying attention to since it probably didn't mean anything and then they did some more things and went looking for clues, but I don't think that that'll do any good I mean we haven't found anything so far but that dosen't mean anything since this thief is obviously very smart and very good and I think I need to run now...maybe I should go looking for the thief myself...YEAH...isn't that a good idea?!"

 

Wyvern bluts all that out in one breath, very excited and antsy. Orlan's head continues nodding up and down.

 

"Yeah! You're right Orlan...that is a good idea....I'll be Wyvern Holmes....I can do it! I'm good enough, smart enough...and doggonnit people like me! Thanks Orlan!"

 

With that Wyvern takes off after the unseen thief. Orlan's head nods up and down for a little bit longer until he suddenly stops, looks up and around, and takes off his ear phones.

 

"Hmmm...Rapier?"

 

Orlan's Fallen Dominion, lying on her stomach on the other side of the roof, her wings up and out in the air so her back can get the sun to bronze it.

 

"Mmmm...yes, sir?"

 

"Was that Wyvern just then?"

 

"Yes, sir."

 

"What did he want?"

 

"There appears to have been a string of thefts, sir. The Pen members have had things stolen."

 

Orlan leans forward and looks down over the edge of the roof down on the frantically searching members of the Pen scuttering all over the ground.

 

"What's been stolen?"

 

Orlan's expression turns from indifferent to an evil smile on his face as Rapier lists off the stolen items. Orlan lies back down on the roof and chuckles to himself. Rapier lifts herself up on her elbows and looks over at Orlan, her SHINY "TMoT Fan" shades being...well extra SHINY.

 

"Sir?"

 

"What are they looking around for?"

 

"Yui suggested they look for clues."

 

"Clues? The thief wouldn't leave any clues..."

 

"Sir?"

 

"My pants were stolen."

 

Rapier looks oddly at Orlan...very oddly.

 

"You mean the pants that where already missing?"

 

"That I do, Rapier. And right now the thief has them."

 

"How...?"

 

Orlan cracked his neck and then rolled over onto his stomach to tan his back. He gave Rapier one of his insufferable grins.

 

"Because I know who the thief is and how the thief works. I didn't get to Elder JUST on my good looks, y'know."

 

"Then why don't you go get your stuff?"

 

"Well...two reasons. Number one...it's my duty as Elder to make sure people expand thier creative juices. A good suspense/mystery gets the conspiracy juices flowing in everyone...and nothing sets aflame the desire to write like flowing juices..."

 

"What's the other reason, sir?"

 

"Hmmm?"

 

"What't the other reason you don't get yours and everyone else's stuff, sir?"

 

"Oh....well... It took me forever to 'lose' those pants...I don't want to go and find them again. How am I going to use the 'I lost my pants' excuse on Tzimfemme if I have my pants on?"

 

Rapier looked at Orlan with a hard penetrating stare.

 

"You're odd....sir"

 

"I know sweetie. It's been 15 minutes, you better turn over unless you want your wings to peel, hon."

 

Orlan put his headphones back on and promptly went back to baking himself to a nice golden shine...mmmm SHINY.

[The Portrait of Zool]

All is quiet in the great hall. Occasionally one of the curious inhabitants of the Keep scuttled by, busily searching for he or she knew not what, but not finding what they weren't looking for, he or she quickly moved on to not find anything somewhere else.

 

Otherwise, lazily spinning dust, caught by the rays of sun light in the spinning currents of air flowing through the trackless corridors was the only life. Even the great portraits spaced throughout the length of the hall seemed to hold their breath.

 

Then, to the keen observer, there was movement. One of the painting's eyes had curiously come alive. First they looked left, then they looked right. Then the paint itself seemed to come alive, as the head moved from side to side, searching the hall, the paint and brush strokes flowing to accurately depict the subject as he moved.

 

It was, of course, the picture of Zool. Seeing that the quiet had turned up nothing suspicious, the painting took an accurately depicted breath, and relaxed. The figure appeared to step back, though being only two dimensional he made all the movements of stepping back and shrunk. Or did he? As he did so, one ChromoZool painted arm shot up, as he appeared to trip over something and fall backwards, falling in a heap at the bottom of the frame.

 

Unlike the depiction, however, the swearing was authentic.

 

"What the..." began Zool, as he tugged agitatedly at what he had tripped over from under him. After some struggling, he produced a rather ugly pair of pants. "...heck?" They weren't his style, and they weren't even his size. And... "How did these get here!?" he wondered aloud, as the translation from the 3 dimensional world to his 2 dimensional world was no easy feat.

 

Then something else caught his eye. From the edge of a broken stone wall in the 'background' of his portrait was a gleam that hadn't been there before. Craning his neck from where he sat he could almost make out what it was.

 

Just then he heard approaching footsteps. Zool began to sweat.

[Guest Minta Rose]

"Check quarters. . ." repeated Tzimfemme, holding a squirming and cocooned Jakob by the handle sewn upon the back of the jacket. "Suddenly that sounds like a VERY GOOD idea." She slung him over her shoulder with a little grunt, like a duffel bag, and dragged him down the hallways, swiping Seth's boxers as she passed (bad timing, yes, but compulsions are compulsions).

 

"Were you born like that?" Jakob asked, staring.

 

With Jakob giggling all the way down the corridor, Tzimfemme didn't notice for awhile the feminine laughter coming from behind her own door. . . .

 

The door whooshed open. A long, pointed stick jabbed into cage number four from above.

 

"MEEP!"

 

Blonde Dr. Tzimfemmestien, sitting atop Star-bot's cage, copied his reaction into a notebook labeled "(heart) Poke the Clone! (heart) ~ Let's Play!" while Sonje retracted the pole hand-over-hand and aimed for the fast-moving white blur in cage number five. Jakob added, "Swoooosh! Meep meep meep, meep, meep, swoosh meep meep, swooooooooooosh meep!" until Tzimfemme shook him. In cage number two, the Angelus shuddered, his bruised wings tucked around him for protection, as Sonje giggled again, kneeled, and jabbed at hyper-Kendricke.

 

Tzimfemme groaned, "The clones. . .someone. . .defrosted them." Dropping Jakob, she went into a forward roll and popped up from behind a lab table with the tranquilizer gun at the ready; she fired in between the six test tubes in the rack in rapid sequence as glass casings rained from the back of the gun. Sonje let the stick clatter to the bottom of the cage and slumped over, the Angelus relaxed and yawned, the blonde mad Doctor pillowed her head on the notebook, the Star-bot's reset button depressed and it shut down. . .the Kendricke clone would have evaded the dart had he not tripped over the stick, straight into its path, and he slowed to a chattery crawl.

 

She dragged each body into its appropriate drawer in the deep freeze, dropping Jakob in the spare, and THREW THE SWITCH heheheHHEHehehEHEhhehehe *cough*ahem!* back to "On". Tzimfemme pried one of her favorite posters out of Sonje's grip and hung it back upon the wall, then leaned into the bedroom and tossed Seth's boxers upon the pile of stolen underwear. Everything was in place--only Minta was gone. Musing on who could possibly secure Minta against her will, she trotted out of the room and downstairs to meet up with Rydia.

[Bhurin]

Bhurin sat quietly upon a large sandbar in the ocean, overlooked by the Pen's keep, the bar having risen high enough from the ocean floor to make a small island. In a few years it would be a paradise (undoubtedly taken over by certain Pen Elders for quick money-making ventures), but for the moment, Bhurin appreciated the silence. Only the sound of the tide coming in and out, and the occasional gull overhead penetrated his sensitive ears.

 

Bhurin was aware of the commotion going on up in the Keep, he himself the victim of such an attack. Two things had been swiped from the winged writer: his Grand Piano, and his L.A.R.T. (Large Attitude Readjustment Tool). Both incredibly valuable to himself; both his oldest possessions. And, like the others, he had found no clues; no mistakes or oversights on the part of the theif. Bhurin had come to the small island to think, his mind baffeled at how the theif had climbed into the clock-tower where he called home.

 

Bhurin sipped from the vintage Ozymandis had given to him when he had joined the Pen, the draught burning as it slid down his throat.

 

"Smooth..." whispered Bhurin, cringing as tears formed in his eyes.

 

Finally, knowing he was getting nothing acomplished sitting and thinking, he decided to make his way back to the Keep.

 

He took off shortly after, riding an updraft back up into the air, then glided overtop the Pen's Keep, made to fly to the Cabaret to hopefully get an update of what was going on.

 

Suddenly however, like the slightest of whispers, Bhurin's eyes perceived something amiss. A tiny flash of silver light had caught his eye on the ground. He immediately descended, diving from nearly two kilmeters in the air. Finally he touched down, walking the few feet where he had seen the flash.

 

At last finding what he was looking for, Bhurin knelt down and picked up a single, silvery high-E guitar string. Bhurin's eyes flashed for a moment, knowing he had found a possible clue.

 

"Perhaps this theif is not as skilled as we thought..."

 

Bhurin took flight again, seeking out the other members of the Pen to share his finding...

[Falcon2001]

William walked around worriedly, wondering whether or not he was going to have to buy new equipment. Pacing back and forth, he almost didn't notice Bhurin walk into the dining hall until the winged one was directly behind him.

 

"Will?"

 

Will let out a shriek and tried to draw his daggers, but he only managed to get them both stuck in the scabbards behind his back under the robes. Giving a mighty heave, he tripped himself and fell over, where he looked up to see Bhurin.

 

"Oh, Bhurin. Hello." Will managed to get himself to a standing position. "Silly me, with all this tension, I totally forgot that my extra pair of daggers, the ones I'm wearing, have a catch you need to release...ahh, how can I help you?"

 

"Well," Bhurin started, but he was cut off when he brought out the string.

 

"MY STRING!!!" Will snatched it out of Bhurin's hand and peered at it. "This is off of my Ibanez electric, the black one. I always remember a string." He looked up at Bhurin with burning eyes. "Where did you find this?

 

"Uhm...It was on the ground outside, I saw it flash..."

 

Will was ecstatic. "Yes! Now I can deduce the identity of the thief! Go around and have everyone meet me in the garden, in the grove in the middle. I'll be waiting there..." He started to walk off, then turned back.

 

"By any chance, did you find my G-string?"

 

OOC: Yes, it was a bad pun. No, I don't regret it. Mwahahahahaha!

[Guest Lord Seth Exodus]

Seth trudged through the halls of The Keep, meeting, though, not greeting, any other member that happens by. His right hand had begun to tremble with the missing weight of his usually present cane, and his left nervously fingered the silver pistol in his pocket. A hundered and one thoughts ran through his mind; though, none more than a mere speculation. He weighed the factors of who coudl have done it, why, and so forth.

He made his way amilessly around, untill he found himself stepping out into the brilliant sunshine of the mid-day. He looked around, eyeing the flowers and plants in full bloom about him; as he had found himself in the garden. He stooped down to sniff at a magnificent red rose, trying to calm himsel; but just as he inhaled the sweet fragerance he heard what sounded like a large gathering, deeper into the garden.

Seth drew and cocked his pistol, a sneer on his face. "They've got him," he thought aloud. "Now he'll pay." He ran swiftly towards the noise, and came upon a small, though growing, group of fellow guildmates. He worked his way through the crowd, pistol still held ready; but he came not unto the sought after thief, but, rather, Falcon standing in the middle of everyone.

He lowered and uncocked his pistol, and stuck it back into his pocket. "Here now, what are you all doing here?" he asked in disgust. "That thief is still on the prowl. My cane....our things are still missing." He spun around, almost trying to address everyone at once.

Getting no answer Seth moved quietly over to the side, and waited for someone to speak, or do something to tell him what was going on.

Standing in the shade of a large tree Seth reached down and readjusted his trousers, cursing having lost his boxers somewhere throughout the day. Finally he sat on the cool grass, realising that he had not rested, nor eaten since early that morning, and waited for the something to happen.

[Guest The Squirrel Duo]

Perched atop a suit of display armor, Lewis and Simon, the vaunted Squirrel Duo, watched the events unfold.

 

"The creative stiffs are certainly running about in a huff this morning," Simon noted quietly.

 

"I wanna run around in a huff, too~!" Lewis moaned dejectedly behind him.

 

"You just want to be part of a hot-headed mob out for Wyvern's blood again," Simon replied hotly, and for a moment, Lewis looked taken aback. Then, as if realizing it was a useless ploy, the squirrel shrugged and slumped.

 

"What's your point?" he answered.

 

"We didn't get anything stolen, searching our quarters would be meaningless," Simon stated, for what must've been the eleven millionth time.

 

"Only because we don't have anything to steal," Lewis pointed out.

 

"Exactly," Simon said without a trace of bitterness.

 

"So what are we going to do?"

 

"What would you suggest?"

 

"I'm all for riling up another mob out for the Alligator's hide."

 

"And barring that?"

 

"Wait till things get good?"

 

Simon sighed, but as much as he hated to admit it, waiting seemed like the best idea for the moment. Until they knew more, they couldn't act; and they couldn't know more until the others returned with whatever clues they might find in their quarters. But Simon would rather cast Armageddon than actually admit as much to Lewis, so he propped himself against the suit's helmet and waited.

[Lady Celes Crusader]

While her cat, the ever shy Carbone, looks at her mistress, Celes was cleaning her ransacked room. The more she cleans it, it became more obvious that her cats were directly aimed by the thief. She stops and looks at Carbone.

 

Perhaps the thief did manage to grab her but she escaped by clawing her way out.

 

She resumes her cleaning and she places her stuff away from the windows it was blocking and she notices something that is hanging on an branch. She left her quarters and brings her cat along, ignoring her pet's protest and heads back to the coffee and then straight outside.

 

Yui followed her and looks at the same direction that the Frenchie is staring at.

 

"Are these g-strings belongs to Signe?", the Frenchie ask

 

"Hum...", acknowledge the Huntress, "First they found strings from William's intruments and now this. I guess our thief had been either hasty, either sloppy."

 

Celes had used a flight spell to get to Signe's piece of lingerie and lands near Yui.

 

"We should look for someone that might had been clawed." added Celes. "He might manage to catch Carbone, because the room had been heavily ransacked. What I think happened in my room is that first he entered in my quarters and since Cambronne is curious, he always go forward the newcomers. He was easily catched. But Carbone is way shyer and the thief must have chase her and perhaps get an hold of her but she managed to clawed her way to freedom. The thief must had been furious and yanked on my desk... that is broken. To hide this, he ransacked the room and left."