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Post by Leafy on Oct 24, 2019 12:14:26 GMT -6
Guppy Level: 13 Loyalty: 23 Stamina: 2 Strength: 3 Resistance: 1 Dexterity: 4 Mentality: 0 Special Abilities: Thick Fur, Shadow Resistance, Super Luck, Night Vision Moves: Nether Claw, Shadow Bite, Hot Breath The quest had intrigued Leafy the moment she’d laid eyes on it. She might not have that much experience catching thieves, but monster hunting would likely give her a leg up. She’d chosen Guppy to accompany her. The Estharne had nightvision, which could help a lot in the long run. If they were going to catch a sneaky thief, they’d need to strike at night after all. Leafy led the creature through the city streets, heading to the expensive part of town. It seemed a bit strange to her that a rich couple couldn’t afford a better security system, but the creature could simply be very clever. “The house is just up ahead,” she informed Guppy. The Estharne followed her silently. Estharne in general weren’t known for being the most loving of creatures, but she and Guppy had developed a close enough bond. She hoped that was enough to keep his behaviour in check as the approached the front gates to the property. (Guppy 10 2/5, 20 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 25, 2019 0:51:22 GMT -6
“Well this place is certainly massive,” Leafy mused.
Guppy followed her closely, more interested in the girl that their surroundings. He was decently attached to her, which was fairly rare for an Estharne. She took a moment to scout out the garden, scanning for any paths that would lead directly to the shed. There were many buildings and Leafy found that she couldn’t even guess which one the shed would be. She’d need to ask the owners for info first. She led Guppy up close to the front door. The Estharne grew distracted by the flowers planted near the front porch. Leafy studied them carefully, making sure that none of them were poisonous before allowing Guppy to continue. Leafy knocked on the front door, waiting for the owners to answer. After a few moments had passed, the door swung open, revealing a man in a well-tailored suit.
“Hello there, you’re here for the quest, right?”
(Guppy 10 3/5, 20 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 26, 2019 10:49:54 GMT -6
Leafy was surprised with just how extravagant the house was. She had never seen anything quite like it. Could a pocketpet breeder really make this much money? Perhaps it was time to take an interest in the small creatures.
“Yes, I am here to catch your thief!” she exclaimed.
The man laughed at her enthusiasm, though he held out his hand for her to shake. Leafy complied even if she didn’t like shaking hands very much. The man invited her inside. She felt a bit uneasy entering such a strange home, but she figured it was necessary to get the quest done. The man didn’t even mind when Guppy followed her inside.
“Your home is very big,” she commented.
“A bit too big I find myself thinking sometimes. Perhaps a small farm would have suited us better, but this gets the job done.”
Leafy nodded along even though she didn’t quite understand the sentiment.
(Guppy 10 4/5, 20 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 26, 2019 10:57:10 GMT -6
Leafy found herself feeling rather uncomfortable as she was shown the entirety of the house. She was getting antsy, wanting to head straight to the backyard, but also realizing that she needed to know the layout of the house. After all, the thief could very well be someone close to the family.
“Do you have any idea who might be stealing your tools?” she asked the man.
Guppy raised his head at the sound of her talking. He kept close to the girl, not quite liking the circumstances either. The man paused for a moment, contemplating what exactly to tell her.
“We think the thief is definitely a creature. There are signs of stolen pet food as well. We wouldn’t mind if it was just the pet food going missing. We have a lot and we’d never deny a creature in need. The tools though are less replaceable. We can’t exactly allow those to go missing,” he explained.
(Guppy 11, 21)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 26, 2019 11:08:40 GMT -6
Leafy nodded. She understood that there were items of more value that others. She would be upset if someone broke into her kennel and stole all the gems that she had stored there. She leaned over and placed a hand on Guppy’s back, keeping the Estharne calm.
“I understand. I’ll do my best to find this creature and retrieve your tools for you. If you take me to the backyard, I’ll be able to get started.”
The man agreed and led her through the rest of the house quickly. They entered the backyard through a patio door and made their way over towards the shed. Like the house, the shed was massive as well. Leafy thought it looked more like a separate house than a simple shed.
“This might take me a few nights to catch the thief. After all, we can’t predict if the thief will even strike tonight,” she commented.
(Guppy 11 1/5, 21 1/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 26, 2019 11:20:12 GMT -6
The man was understanding, he told her to take as much time as she needed before disappearing back into the house to tend to his pocketpets. Guppy relaxed once he was out of sight.
“We should go inside the shed, try to figure out what this critter is attracted to.”
If the shiny tools were missing, there was a strong possibility that the items were being stolen by a creature that was easily distracted by such things. If the practical tools were missing, then that would imply that the creature had need for them. If the expensive tools were missing, then the creature would have expensive tastes. And if it was the latter, the creature might be trained to steal by an owner with ill intentions.
“You ready to check it out?” she asked Guppy.
The Estharne kept close to her as Leafy opened the door. The man had given her the spare key to the shed for the duration of the quest.
(Guppy 11 2/5, 21 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 26, 2019 13:10:26 GMT -6
Leafy unlocked the shed and ushered Guppy inside. The Estharne was glad to be out of the harsh, autumn wind and she agreed. With the end of October approaching, the weather was only going to get colder from here.
“Seems like the shed is heated. I don’t suppose something else is taking refuge in here?”
It wouldn’t be outlandish to assume that there was something spending the nights in here. Perhaps it was simply a creature that wanted to get out of the cold. Then it took the tools out of animalistic desire. She glanced at Guppy, trying to see if there was anything that caught the Estharne’s attention. He didn’t seem interested in any of the tools. She hadn’t exactly known him to be particularly enthralled with shiny objects.
“I guess you’re not really a good gauge for that kind of a thing. I think avians tend to be attracted to shiny objects.”
(Guppy 11 3/5, 21 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 26, 2019 13:22:36 GMT -6
“Though the thief could be a harmless creature, it could also be a monster. I’ve heard stories of giant birds that steal your items. Then they take them back to their nests, trying to lure you close. Then, when they have the chance, they eat you for dinner!”
Guppy let out a meow in response. He seemed more interested in the food that the owners kept in the shed. Leafy tried to distract him with her own treats. She didn’t want him upsetting these people by stealing from them.
“If we catch the thief, that man might give us a reward worth our time. That won’t happen if we don’t take this seriously,” she told him.
She could see that nearly all of the wrenches were gone. Wrenches were silver in colour and reflected light well. If there were more shiny tools missing, than their culprit was likely attracted to sparkly objects.
(Guppy 11 4/5, 21 4/5)
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Post by Renathan on Oct 26, 2019 14:14:27 GMT -6
Where would one even get out of the house with such things? Nearby, a bit of a hint may be found, closer to the floor and towards a back corner was a weak spot that looked rather suspicious. Was this where it was getting in and out?
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Post by Leafy on Oct 26, 2019 16:50:38 GMT -6
She looked over the rest of the shed, taking inventory of all the tools that were missing. They were definitely all shiny, making the motive clear. Now the question was how was the creature getting in? The shed had been locked, which meant that it was unlikely that it was using the front door to enter. There had to be some other way. Guppy flicked his ears forward, his body language indicating that he was on high alert. Leafy frowned, what was he looking at? She followed him as he led her to the back-right corner of the shed. She tilted her head as she observed it carefully. Perhaps a little bit of hands on testing would help in this situation.
“Good work, Guppy! If there’s anything to be found here, I’m sure we’ll find it.”
This area of floorboards was bare. It seemed rather unusual for such a swanky place. It appeared almost like it had been recently renovated.
(Guppy 12, 22)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 26, 2019 17:00:21 GMT -6
Leafy felt the uncovered floorboards. They were wooden and looser than they should have been. With the barest bit of effort, Leafy was able to move them up and out of the way.
“I don’t think they’re supposed to be like this,” she commented.
Guppy sniffed at the opening that the girl uncovered. It definitely seemed large enough for a creature to fit through. Heck, if Leafy wanted to, she could probably fit through as well. If they could get inside, that would make a perfect place to host a stakeout.
“Do you think you can fit through?” she asked Guppy.
Guppy pushed himself forward. Natural curiosity prompted him to enter the opening. Leafy wondered if Estharne had the same curious streak as the domestic cats they were modeled after. It had been a long time since she’d seen a natural creature, so she wasn’t quite certain. A cat’s curiosity could simply be urban legend.
(Guppy 12 1/5, 22 1/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 26, 2019 17:08:47 GMT -6
Once Guppy was comfortably through the opening and there were no sounds of distress, Leafy decided that she would try to follow him. She moved the floorboards out of the way entirely, leaving the area with a wide opening.
“I’m certain I can fit through. I just need to get low to the ground.”
She dropped down onto her belly and wiggled forward. She was able to fit through the opening with a little bit of effort. To her surprise, there was a slight drop. She dropped down and found herself next to Guppy. Her Estharne was sitting quietly, licking his front paw and swiping it over his ear. He seemed smug and Leafy decided that he had good reason to be smug.
“Now let’s see what’s down here.”
They appeared to be in some sort of crawl space. There wasn’t a ton of room to move around. Leafy had to remain crouched.
(Guppy 12 2/5, 22 2/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 26, 2019 17:15:18 GMT -6
The area was dark, but Leafy had brought her flashlight with her. She switched it on, lamenting how the area reminded her of the mines.
“Would a bird be comfortable flying in an enclosed space? I’m not sure. I wonder if there are birds specifically created for that purpose.”
Guppy had no need for the flashlight. She envied his ability to see in the dark. He seemed to have gained some confidence. Perhaps he preferred a dark environment. Leafy had taken him mining before and he’d seemed to enjoy it. Perhaps he simply thrived in the darkness.
“Keep your eyes peeled. Our culprit might be hiding out somewhere down here. And if they aren’t, they’ll likely come this way eventually. I am certain this is how they’re getting in.”
Leafy and Guppy checked the crawlspace, trying to see if they could find where the creature was hiding out. It appeared that it hadn’t gotten here yet.
(Guppy 12 3/5, 22 3/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 26, 2019 17:30:28 GMT -6
“Maybe we could set a trap. That way we’d be able to capture the creature easily. Then we’d simply need to take it away from here and then get our reward!”
It sounded like a good plan, but she hadn’t worked out the details yet. She glanced at Guppy, trying to plan out how to utilize the Estharne. If they were indeed up against an avian, the Estharne would be effective at scaring it. She’d just need to make sure that Guppy didn’t accidentally eat it.
“After all, this creature might be worth some money. Or it might belong to someone who has money. Then maybe we’d get a reward.”
There were a few miscellaneous objects within the area. It seemed that at some point, the owners had used this crawlspace to store some things. Maybe if she was lucky, she could find something that could be used to capture the creature with.
(Guppy 12 4/5, 22 4/5)
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Post by Leafy on Oct 26, 2019 17:37:36 GMT -6
She found a large, plastic container. If she could fit this over the creature, it would be effective at keeping it in place. She’d need to empty it first, but it was definitely usable.
“I wonder if you can fit in here as well,” she mused.
She didn’t want to test it out. She knew it would make Guppy uncomfortable. Leafy opened the container, ecstatic when she saw that it was full of picnic blankets. They would certainly make the wait just a bit more comfortable. She folded the blankets and set them in the corner. She then pushed a couple of boxes to obscure them from view.
“This will make the perfect area to hide behind!” she exclaimed.
Guppy was perfectly content to head over towards the blankets and curl up on top of them. Leafy joined him, feeling a bit on edge at the prospect of capturing a creature.
(Guppy 13, 23)
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